Holt Village Hall

The project to look at the development of the village hall in Holt has moved on a pace since our last article. The Holt Village Hall Trust commissioned a survey to help conclude whether refurbishment or rebuild was the appropriate response to safeguard this important asset.
 An invasive structural survey by Paul Marshall Structural Engineers and Nick Carroll Architects was carried out revealing that the original building has been constructed on unstable, made-up ground that has led to building subsidence despite historic under-pinning. As a result of this survey the Trustees of Holt Village Hall and Holt Parish Council have started to look at the possibility of replacing the village hall and making it a place that will be the heart of the village for years to come.

The cost of the rebuilding has been estimated as being in the region of £600k, the Village Hall Trust are actively seeking funding from a variety of sources such as grants and donations and we are pleased to report that the Kildare Trust has pledged £250K towards the rebuild. Therefore, they would express our thank to the Kildare Trust for this generous donation.

An Ecological and Bat survey has also been performed on the existing building as part of the potential redevelopment programme, historical evidence of Bats using the roof space has been identified and will be investigated further in the new year. It is the aim of the Village Hall Trust to ensure that the Village Hall remans a key asset for the Village of Holt and the surrounding area, so that the new building will reinforce community spirit and help offer a wide range of inclusive uses that will promote the physical and mental wellbeing of the community. The Trust want to involve all of the residents of the Parish of Holt in this project, the Trust will be holding an open meeting on Friday 24th November at 7.00 pm at the Village Hall, where details of the new build will be on view and members of the project team will be on hand to discuss details of the project and to listen to any ideas that you may have as to what should be included, we would also like to hear from you if you have any ideas for fund raising. The Trust will be holding a raffle in the run up to Christmas with some exciting prizes, look out for tickets that will be available from team members and at local stores in the area. The raffle will be drawn on Sunday 10th December at the Carol Service on the Millenium Green, further fund-raising events are being planned and we will be keeping you updated as the plans progress.

Peter Winney, Holt Village Hall Trust

Stephen Williams, Holt Parish Council.