EDSTASTON VILLAGE HALL COMMUNITY PROJECT DIARY
JUNE 2022 FINISHED (mostly) IN THE NICK OF TIME FOR THE GRAND RE-OPENING
Gordon worked like a trojan to finish the patio in time for the celebration party on 18th June. Mike, Russ and Trevor worked on the area to be grassed and it is as flat as a pancake with a sleeper retaining wall. The grass seed will be sown as soon as feasible. The car park area is still a work in progress, but nothing could stop the jubilant celebrations with 110 guests from the local community. Sadly tickets ran out as we have a capacity of 110, which indicates that the second extension on the opposite end of the hall is very much needed!
The committee is having a well-deserved break but fundraising for the second extension will resume shortly as will further work on the car park.
JUNE 2022 AUTOMATED ENTRANCE DOOR, PATIO and GRASSED AREA PROGRESS
We have a fully automated entrance door. The patio is nearing completion thanks to the outstanding work of Gordon, Mark, Nick and Chris Jones! It has been an enormous job with some interesting slopes and levels to contend with and we're absolutely thrilled with the result. Thanks to Mike and Russ Vernon for importing literally TONS of soil to ensure that the grassed area will be flat and a manageable step off the patio. Thanks to Trev for raking to achieve a surface for sowing the grass seed which has come from Spunhill Limited. Thanks also to Liz, Bev and Corrine for attacking the grass under the hedge - which is growing beautifully - a good mix of native species. It will be a fine sight in years to come.
May 2022 ENTRANCE AND PATIO
Getting there! Can almost picture sitting on the patio surveying the scenery with Fergus the wonder dog and a gin!
April 2022 ENTRANCE AND PATIO
Work is progressing with muscle power from the girls and machine power from the boys! Many tons of rubble shifted and broken by hand and machine, concrete crushed, walls built, soil riddled. Thanks as always to everyone who has helped: Mike, Russ and Liz, Trev, Elaine, Anna, Corrine, Sandra, James and Bev, Morris, Neil from www.jtcconcretecrushing.co.uk and as always Fergus the wonder dog!
05/03/2022 PATIO Concrete footings poured (Below)
Another busy morning at Edstaston Village Hall! Thanks everyone for turning up at 8am!!! to help get the concrete footings done for the patio and entrance. Particular thanks to Russ Vernon for skillful digger driving and lending us his second oldest vintage concrete mixer! Thanks Corrine for the flapjacks and Sandra for coffee/teas/photography. Thanks Liz for bringing the "Ribena". Other helpers Trev (as always!), Elaine, Neale, James and Bev. Brilliant job everyone!
29/01/2022 FIRE EXIT DOOR (and lots of dust!) (Left)
We're at it again...knocking a hole through for the new fire exit - hopefully the last dusty job for a while! The new doors will be installed very soon. Huge thanks to Mike, Trev and helpers Liz (photographer), Bev, Sandra and the very helpful Fergus for a good days work
28/01/2022 FIRE SAFETY AND HEAT!
Fire safety equipment and some new heaters kicking out amazing warmth in the new extension thanks to the fantastic Hunter Lloyd team
22/01/2022 KITCHEN PROGRESS (above)
The kitchen is finished! Tiling done, crockery moved into the new cupboards, lovely vintage teapot with King George V Cypher found in old kitchen cupboard...
24/11/2021 OUR BEAUTIFUL UNIQUE FALLING LEAVES CHANDELIER IS NOW FINISHED!
Many hands make light work...bending fiddly bits of wire and threading beads and leaves. Now that we've removed the scaffold tower we can't wait to see the full effect when the electrics are finished and light streams down from the LEDs set in the mirrored top plate of the chandelier to illuminate the copper and silver leaves.
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HUGE THANKS to everyone who contributed to the chandelier by donating to our BUY-A-LEAF campaign.
We are so grateful to Iestyn Davies owner of the Contemporary Chandelier Company of Trench Farm, Tilley Green, Wem, for his generosity in providing us with a way to afford this bespoke chandelier. It was great fun to put together and will be a lasting legacy for our community.
30/10/2021 NEW KITCHEN PROGRESS
Trev Gough has been doing a fantastic job of installing our new kitchen from Howdens. It will be a huge improvement and far more suitable for all users of the hall including caterers.
27/10/2021 ENTRANCE DOOR INSTALLATION (AGS All Glass Systems)
An exciting day for the project! Installation of the entrance doors lets in yet more light. Unfortunately the small panel shattered in transit so we have to wait another 2 weeks or so to see the final reveal. Automation and commissioning of the door will take place when the entrance ramp has been done but the hall is now watertight for the winter so flooring can go down.
OUR FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPH
09/10/2021 COMMUNITY TIDYING DAY
This week saw so many helpers cleaning, tidying, dusting down chairs, washing glasses, hanging mirrors and bunting, pruning, shifting piles of stone and sand etc getting ready to host Edstaston Church's annual Harvest Supper. As always huge thanks to all helpers, Pat, Billy and Julie Holt, Bob Price, Alan Cliff, Don Gregory, Mike and Liz Vernon, Anna Thomas, Sandra Price, Trev Gough, Carolyn Shingler, Bev and James Horsley, Alison and Penny Vernon who dropped in to say hello and not forgetting the wonder dog, Fergus. Such a fantastic community spirit!
03/10/2021: THE PAINTING IS FINISHED!
Thanks to all our lovely painters: Liz Vernon, Anna Thomas and Carolyn Shingler and Bev Horsley
15/09/2021 : ...AND AT LONG LAST THE PLASTERING HAS BEGUN!
12/09/2021 : CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY
We get so excited about Christmas lights even if it is only September and the lit up lorry was delivering sand
26/08/2021 : FLOOR LEVELLING BY EASYFLOW LTD.
After a long frustrating wait and some preparation by willing helpers Elaine Brown, Corrine Brown, Sandra Price, Anna Thomas and Bev Horsley, the floor is now level! It will take a while to dry completely but in the meantime we will be able to get the ceilings and walls boarded and plastered...
23/07/2021 : THE FULL VIEW!
The boarding has been removed to show the light flooding into the hall from the new extension and lovely picture window/bifold doors.
08/07/2021 : PICTURE WINDOW AND BIFOLD DOORS
SO EXCITING! ALPHA WINDOWS Ltd is fitting the gable end window and bi-fold doors. Look at that lovely view...and it's a gorgeous suntrap too.
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The committee would also like to thank Roly Humphries from Higher Heath for donating his welding skills and time to our extension project - we are truly grateful.
27/06/2021 : HEAVY MACHINERY AND WEEDING THE HEDGE
Tackling the weeds in the hedge which has done really well since we planted the tiny "sticks" last March. Many thanks to all our lovely volunteers.
Special mention to Mike, Liz and Russell Vernon for lending us their heavy duty machinery to move the spoil and soil. Trev has been hard at work starting to turn the land donated by the Price family of Edstaston into a much-needed community space.
11/05/2021 : ENTRANCE
The new entrance to Edstaston Village Hall...awaiting automatic doors and entrance path. Soffits and guttering are done and look so smart. May is quite a busy month for the hall with elections and a 10 day theatre group booking as well as a Parish Council meeting. Aside from lots of cleaning not a lot of work will be happening inside the hall. There will be plenty to do as soon as the entrance doors and bifolds are installed!
04/05/2021 : THE SCAFFOLDING IS DOWN!
So exciting to be able to see where the huge gable window will go above the bi-fold doors. These have been ordered from ALPHA WINDOWS and will take around 6 weeks to manufacture and install. The fully automatic entrance doors from AGS have also been ordered and will hopefully be finished around the same time.
23/04/2021 : HUNTER LLOYD ELECTRICAL
The super-efficient Hunter Lloyd team have completed the first fix - it's great to feel we're in safe hands!
18/04/2021: THE FULLY FUNCTIONING ACCESSIBLE TOILET COMPLETE WITH BABY CHANGING FACILITIES
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25/02/2021 : BUILDING PROGRESS AND INTERNAL RESTRUCTURING
Atec Construction has begun the exterior building work and Trev Gough and Billy Rogers continue with the internal renovations. Scaffolding up, walls going up, windows (recycled from gable wall) going in, interior windows boarded up and doors on storage cupboard. So exciting!
15/03/2021 : FIRST ROOF TIMBERS GOING UP
22/03/2021 : ROOF AND GENERAL PROGRESS
It's been great to have a dry spell to work on the roofing.
Inside the hall the disabled loo has been plastered, skimmed and painted - ready for fitting.
13/02/2021 : TIDY-UP - BUILDING WORK STARTING THIS MONDAY (15th Feb)
Many thanks to local company P.G. SKIPS LTD for their very kind donation of a skip. Thanks to all helpers: Sandra Price (the photographer) Corrine Brown, Liz Vernon, Anna Thomas, Trev Gough, Bev Horsley and Billy Rogers (who disappeared inside as soon as the camera appeared)
05/02/2021 : FINAL CONCRETE FOR THE FOUNDATIONS
Another early morning concrete delivery to complete the foundations Thanks Wilson Rees, Trev Gough, Liz Vernon, Bev Horsley and Billy Rogers for your hard work and Mike Vernon for lending us his telehandler thingy.
Thursday 07/01/2021 : SPREADING FROZEN STONE
Stalwarts Mike and Liz Vernon moving stone this super-frosty day. While the hall has had to close in lockdown, work is also ongoing with internal refurbishments and the new disabled toilet. Thanks to all helpers, and particularly Mike and Liz Vernon, Billy Rogers and Trev Gough for their hard work and dedication to the project.
21/12/2020 : GROUNDWORK AND INTERNAL RENOVATIONS
Fantastic community spirit continues with people giving their free time to shovel mud and stone in the rain!
Stud walling forming the disabled loo in the old bar. The other side of the stud wall will be a storage area off the main room.
22/11/2020 : DEMOLITION DAY
Today there was some enthusiastic "rearrangement" of the bar area ready for the creation of a disabled toilet. Thanks team for some excellent demolition work!
22/10/2020 : DIGGING THE FOOTINGS
After a visit earlier in the week by the building control inspector, community volunteers turned out again (in the rain) to dig the footings. Trevor Gough and Mike Vernon led the dig with Elaine Brown and Bev Horsley as assistants. (who knew that Elaine was such a whizz with a saw!!)Many thanks to those who provided food : Corrine Brown, Bev Horsley, Elaine Brown and Liz Vernon.
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30/10/2020 : CONCRETE POURING
A team of welly-booted volunteers with rakes and shovels assembled at Edstaston Village Hall to help get the concrete into the footings for the new extension.
Massive thanks to Trevor Gough, Wilson Rees, Russell Vernon, Andy and Ruth Williams, Neale Sadler, Sandra Price, Corrine Brown, Mike and Liz Vernon and Bev Horsley for their hard work! Thanks to Sandra, Corrine and Liz for fabulous cakes and refreshments too.
28/01/2021 : MORE CONCRETE AND INTERNAL RENOVATIONS
Very early start this morning ready for another concrete pour. Many thanks to Neale Sadler for manoeuvring his mighty manitou, Anna Thomas, Ruth and Andy Williams, Trev Gough, Billy Rogers, Bev Horsley... and Mike Vernon for lending Trev his wellies! Another great job team.
Meanwhile inside the hall the bar counter has been removed to make the large storage cupboard.
17/10/2020 : COMMUNITY HELP TO START THE PROJECT
Local businesses and members of the community came together to start preparing for building work for Phase 1 at Edstaston Village Hall.
With building control approval, preparation of the land (donated by the Price Family of Park Farm) for the foundations has begun. Big thanks to local businesses who have contributed their time and machinery: Trevor Gough (TAG Services), Mike Vernon (M & R Vernon Contracts) and David Grocott (Grocott Developments Ltd).
Thank you also, to local people for providing refreshments: Corrine Brown, Sandra Price, Liz Vernon.
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