02.08.06
Objective One investment for village hall

Seven years of hard work has paid off for residents of Stithians with the announcement that a vital village hall redevelopment into a parish resource centre can go ahead.

The 19th Century hall currently sees the village's pre-school jostling for space with several community groups. The development will more than double the hall's size; create seven jobs; provide a computer suite, an archive room, an advice room for organisations such as the Citizens' Advice Bureau and plenty of room for other community activities, educational and outreach services. It will also give the pre-school a permanent home and mean that the 2,000 plus villagers will be able to access many more services without having to travel to neighbouring towns or Truro.

News that work, which will cost almost £470,000, could begin came with the approval of £170,000 of Objective One European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) investment. This was the final major piece in the funding jigsaw that has also involved investment from the Big Lottery Fund (£159,245), the Rural Renaissance Fund (£80,000), Stithians Parish Council (£28,162), Kerrier District and Cornwall County Councils (£15,000 each) and £2,000 from the Stithians Village Hall Management Committee.

Dr Rachel Godwin, Stithians Village Hall Management Committee treasurer, said: "Everyone now wants this to happen as soon as possible. This idea really started in 1999 when a questionnaire was sent around villagers asking people what they would like to see in the hall. There was a lot of interest and many people asked for courses such as computer training. The bus services in Stithians are poor so a lot of people also wanted advice facilities actually available in the village.

"Currently the pre-school is in the hall every morning so this restricts what anyone else can do with the hall and also means that because other users come in during the afternoons and evenings, the children can't have any displays which is not ideal as far as they, or OFSTED, are concerned. We are particularly grateful to Kerrier Regeneration which has worked with us on our applications and written our business plan."

The redevelopment, which has been designed by Roger Hocking, of CAD Architects who is also a Stithians resident, will have full disabled access and an environmentally friendly heat pump system. It is estimated that work will begin this summer and be complete by Easter 2007.

The new build will mean the pre school will have its own dedicated entrance, kitchen and toilets and can expand its range of services to include breakfast, lunch, after school and holiday clubs. This will mean the caretaker's and other pre-school jobs are secured for the future. It will also free up the original hall for organisations such as Helston Adult Education to expand. Other organisations delivering their services from the new facilities will include Cornwall College and Lizard Pathways to Employment.

Monica Biscoe, Stithians Parish Councillor and chairman of the Resource Centre Development Committee, said: "It has been a long uphill struggle but we have got the funding and permissions in place. Now the really serious work begins of getting the development project implemented and putting the resulting Parish Resource Centre to best use for the benefit of the whole Parish."

For further information please contact Clare Morgan of the Objective One Partnership Office on 01872 223439 or email cmorgan@conrwall.gov.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Stithians Resource Centre through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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