WINTER 2023

The Trustees have continued their work on the design with our Architect and Structural Engineers and submitted more fundraising applications necessary to see the project move forward. Local fundraising events and charitable donations have continued to bring in regular funds, with our Valentines Dinner & Dance helping us to smash our Local Fundraising Target of £50,000. What a fantastic achievement Widecombe!

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AUTUMN 2023

We were delighted to be the Charity of the Year at the famous Widecombe Fair on 12th September and enjoyed meeting hundreds of locals and visitors on our stand throughout the day. The winner of our Quilt Raffle was drawn, and Eileen Harris is now the proud owner of the hand-sewn quilt, donated by the Widecombe Sewing Circle.  

Andrew Kirby Architects continue to work closely with us developing the design and layout of the building and a 3D virtual fly-through can now be viewed on our YouTube channel - https://youtu.be/YCKtzzpzrWk?si=NKRHpOa2pNYxuYlD

 

A team of volunteers came together mid-October and helped with a site tidy day.  Strimmers, hedge trimmers, a flail and telehandler were all made available to keep the Hayes Field looking neat and tidy. A new WhatsApp group has been set up for volunteers – let us know if you’d like to be added. This will keep everyone informed of practical site work plans, details of fundraising events where help is needed; cooking skills can be called upon and general jobs that volunteers can help us to complete are listed. Please do get involved!

 

SUMMER 2023

Lots of local events helped to bolster our funds over the summer, including Coronation celebrations, River Dart Country Park’s ‘Picnic in the Park,’ the Widecombe Singers & Jim Causley’s concert, a pop-up fudge stall and Open Gardens. We have now achieved 86% of our local fundraising target – a whopping £43,000 raised from within the parish!

June saw another busy month on site, with volunteers racking up over 280 hours of work and providing 30 days of plant hire for free. Our drainage swale has been created, the last section of the hall footprint completely drained and levelled, fencing has been erected and kerbstones have been laid over the access bridge.

We have had our new, timber-framed Community Hall noticeboard completed and installed on site. Keep an eye out for project information, event posters and fundraising updates.

 

SPRING 2023

We enjoyed a very successful Easter duck race, with dozens of families enjoying the beautiful weather. Much tea and cake was consumed, garden games played and ducks raced. Thanks to Miles and Gail for hosting this lovely event.

Iain Russell has been welcomed onto our Board of Trustees, bringing with him a wealth of property and sustainable construction knowledge. This will be invaluable as we move the project forward.

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On site works took another leap forward, with a band of volunteers tidying up the site entrance, erecting new handrailing and removing the temporary fencing, completing the corner of the hall footprint, as well as digging the swale (drainage pond) ready for it to be lined with coconut matting.  Over 150 man hours were given free of charge and many days of plant and machinery were provided at no cost – a true community effort and hugely appreciated.

 

We are delighted to have selected as the Charity of the Year for Widecombe Fair, where we will have a tent showcasing our work to date and we will also be drawing the ticket of the lucky winner of the beautiful hand-crafted quilt.  Get your tickets from the Fundraising page now if you haven’t already bought them!

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Our thanks also to Widecombe Parish Council for granting us £500 towards our mains electricity connection, which we hope to complete later this year. 

 

WINTER 2022

Over the winter months we have been delighted to have enjoyed collaborative working with Porteous Groundworks – the development area almost back up to ground level, with drainage sorted underneath.  Our beautiful granite bridge parapets have been completed at the entrance and once again our thanks go to all the volunteers who have given up their time, expertise and machinery to keep this project moving forward.

We held a successful new year Games Night & Supper for all the family at Leusdon Memorial Hall and enjoyed an evening of delicious home-made food, good company and games for all ages.

We have now launched our Supporting Wall initiative, with many engraved granite stones being requested already and donations rolling in. Visit our Fundraising Events page to fill out an order form and participate in ‘history in the making.’

Our calendar of events for 2023 has been drafted and is ready to put into action – including an Easter duck race, pop-up stalls, a comedy night, quiz night, a big community food event and a winter ball. Can’t wait!

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AUTUMN 2022

The Trustees had the pleasure of welcoming everyone onto the site for the afternoon on Saturday 24th September to join in with garden games, fabulous taster sessions in the tent and to enjoy teas, homemade cakes and hotdogs whilst exploring the work completed to date. 

What a great day in the glorious Widecombe sunshine sharing information, showing people around and getting the community together.

We are delighted to announce that, in addition to being a lovely community get-together, the event brought in £1,000 towards the hall funds - what a result! 

Huge thanks to the numerous volunteers that helped to make this happen and congratulations to Rose Underhill for winning the poetry competition! Please enjoy Rose's poem below :-)

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There once was a mental committee 

Who thought that it was a pity 

That the Widecombe hall 

Was ever so small 

It should be the size of a city !

 

They gathered their collective brain

And worked in sun and in rain 

They duck raced and quizzed

They measured and digged

And are now  completely insane 

 

It is much harder than thought 

And a lot of things need to be brought 

But they all work all day 

They do meetings and play 

And a lot of new skills have been taught

 

The fundraising is going well 

The coffers beginning to swell

The planning was sort

The hardcore was bought

I’d say it is going quite well 

 

And one day maybe quite soon 

There will be a lovely new room

With big windows and door

Smart chairs and much more

All who see it will positively swoon !

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SUMMER 2022

Construction has started!  After much planning and preparation, it was a very exciting day on 25th July to start work on the new access into the Hayes Field. A culvert has been set into the stream bed, with new road access over the top. A low-noise cattlegrid has been installed and the road and car park area has been excavated down to firm ground, then built back up with free-draining material to form a solid base.  Local granite walls are being built to face the bridge and create a very attractive and fitting entrance to the hall site.

A multitude of local volunteers and businesses have rallied to launch this work, keeping the costs down and ensuring that it is a true community project. Our thanks to you all!

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SPRING 2022

We are delighted to have been awarded a further £12,000 in grants in the new year from the National Lotter Communities Fund and the Norman Family Charitable Trust. These will go towards our new Access Works in the summer and a community event on Hayes Field to celebrate later in the Summer.

Further grant applications have been submitted to support this first stage of work (a new bridge, site entrance, field drainage work and connections to supplies).

Following another very successful Easter Duck Race, we have been able to add another £928 to our community fundraising total and this means we are now 65% of the way to raising £50,000 from within the parish. Congratulations Widecombe!

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WINTER 2021

Grant applications are once again being written by our Fundraising Sub-Committee as plans for commencing work on the access to the Hayes Field is moving forward.

Our Christmas Lights event has been very popular again this year, with over 200 visitors enjoying the tour. £575 has been raised for the project and the community has come together to display some colourful, fun and imaginative Christmas displays for everyone to enjoy.

 

AUTUMN 2021

We waved farewell to long-standing Committee Member and Trustee, Evie Edworthy, and welcomed Polly McAfee and Sophie Mount-Thurston onto the Board. Take a look at their profiles here: Meet the Trustees | Widecombe Hall (widecombecommunityhall.org)

At our AGM, we welcomed Gail Fursdon as our new Finance Administrator.

 

SUMMER 2021

The Hayes Field is now legally ours! Enormous thanks again to the generosity of Richard & Valerie Casey for making this possible.  We enjoyed our first little face-to-face fundraiser in early September, joining in with the Parish Field open day and community events in lieu of Widecombe Fair.  Our tombola sold out and another £125 was added to the funds.

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SPRING 2021

Our normal activities have been paused again during the National Lockdown, but work has continued behind the scenes.  Our local fundraising total has now exceeded 60% and legal work has moved forward the Land Transfer of the Hayes Field to near completion.

 

JANUARY

We have been delighted and very grateful to have received over £1,200 in donations from local individuals over the Christmas period.  Many of these donations have been in lieu of sending Christmas cards.

 

DECEMBER 2020

The support and engagement in our Christmas Lights and Displays has been truly fantastic! This Covid-secure event has enabled the community to come together again in a very special way, with nearly 40 households taking part and an estimated 275 people taking the tour over the 4-day event. Over £800 was raised through map sales and at the Drive-thru. Merry Christmas Widecombe!

 

AUTUMN 2020

We held our first AGM as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in November and accounts for the year were approved. New Trustees & Sub-Committee members are warmly welcomed to join our small, but committed team.

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JULY 2020

The Trustees have held their first remote meeting since lockdown now that the project has hit the major milestone of achieving planning permission.  It was agreed that a new sub-committee – Finance & Fundraising - will be created alongside the existing Design sub-committee to enable work to be shared out and reported back to the Board. We warmly welcome new members to join these sub-committees to support our ongoing work and ensure that this is representative of all sectors of the community. Please get in touch if you would be interested in getting involved.

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JUNE 2020

The Development Management Committee at Dartmoor National Park Authority unanimously voted in favour of granting planning permission for the hall. It’s been a slow process, with our application submitted in November, but it’s been worth it! 

 

SPRING 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has put paid to lots of our plans this Spring, with fundraisers cancelled and meetings postponed.  The Trustees are taking stock of what has been achieved to date and considering our next steps as we await our planning application decision from DNPA.

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FEBRUARY 2020

Widecombe Parish Council formally minuted their backing of the Widecombe Community hall plans and unanimously voted in support of applying for a loan on our behalf. This loan of £50,000 will be matched by an anonymous, and exceptionally generous, local donor who has offered their support to the project. These funds will enable us to move forward with further significant grant applications and the ongoing work of the Trustees.

The DNPA planning determination is eagerly awaited, as this has now gone beyond their original deadline and we’ll let you know as soon as there is news to report.

 

JANUARY 2020

The year has started very well with the receipt of funds from two very successful fundraisers. Gail has achieved over £1,200 in sponsorship from her 119 Tors Challenge and we had our best-attended Quiz & Supper Night to date, which brought in a further £600. Together, these have helped us to reach 50% of our Local Fundraising target with £25,000 now raised locally towards this project!

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DECEMBER

We were disappointed with the outcome of the recent parish vote. 48% were in favour of increasing the precept to the extent requested, but this was not quite enough to ‘tip the balance’. We were however, delighted with the Parish Council supporting our planning application, which is now being considered by DNPA.

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NOVEMBER

We held an Open Day for anyone to drop in to view our Community Hall design and planning application information, to see how we've been getting on & ask us any questions about the project. It was lovely to talk to all those who came along and hear your comments. Our planning application was also formally lodged with DNPA this month and will be considered by the Parish Council at their December meeting.

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OCTOBER 2019

Yvette attended the Teign Fundraising Forum meeting and has come away with loads of information and ideas about progressing our fundraising work and raising our profile. The Design Sub-committee have been finalising drawings and reports ahead of our Open Day and in preparation for submitting our planning application to DNPA. Everyone in the Parish will have received our Newsletter this month with project updates and information and the Parish Council have now invited all householders in Widecombe Parish to vote on a potential precept increase, to enable them to grant £100,000 to our charity if a majority are in favour. Positive votes will have a significant impact on the future of this project and your support is hugely appreciated.

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SEPTEMBER

Our Auction Night was a great success, with local band Wild Goose providing the perfect accompaniment to the huge silent auction and delicious BBQ before our live auction with Peter from Rendells getting everyone bidding on our selected lots. Go Tell Alice had everyone on their feet at the end of the night and we raised a whopping £4,000 for the project. Thanks to everyone who supported this event!

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AUGUST 2019

The Design Sub-committee have been working hard at finalising layouts and drawings for our planning application. The hall footprint and internal layout has now been agreed, external finishes proposed and the new access into Hayes Field has been designed, along with parking and boundary treatments. We plan to incorporate two electric-vehicle charging points into our parking area and have set aside space for wildflower planting in addition to a covered terrace and garden area at the rear of the hall.

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JULY 2019

Fundraising has continued with several small events this month which keep nudging up our percentage of local funds raised – now at 37% of our £50,000 target. Huge thanks to all those who support these in various ways and especially to individuals and groups who have run their own events in support of the new hall.

Further surveys have been completed in support of our upcoming planning permission application and so far nothing has been identified that causes concern. Bat and reptile surveys will continue over the summer and into September and on receipt of these completed reports we will be able to submit our application to Dartmoor National Park Authority.

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JUNE 2019

Various surveys have been commissioned as a result of DNPA’s planning pre-application feedback. We will need to submit an Arboricultural Report (assessment & protection plan of trees in the vicinity), a Measured Earthworks Survey (digital terrain modelling), a Geophysics Survey (magnetic gradiometry mapping of underground magnetised archaeological objects, structures or features), an Environmental Report including bats & reptiles and a Flood Risk Assessment is also being undertaken to support the design of the new access over the stream into Hayes Field. It is fantastic that funds are available to cover the costs of these reports and we can continue raising money for the next phases ahead of time.

Our Barn Dance was a great success at the end of the month with nearly 200 people attending from the smallest of children, right through the ages to some sure-footed Octogenarians all enjoying the wonderful music from the Cotton Mill Ceilidh Band and Data Disco. A delicious hog roast from Michael Howard Butchers kept everyone well fed and we raised over £1,200. Thanks to the Jones family and all our fabulous volunteers for helping to make the night so much fun.

 

MAY 2019

Trustees held their first CIO board meeting this month after a day of training with the NCVO on Trustee roles & responsibilities. We were delighted to welcome Trustees from both the Pre-school and Sports Group to the training and hope that they got as much out of the day as we did. Terms of Reference for sub-committees are now in place, policies are being approved and insurance has been purchased for the new charity.

DNPA have provided us with pre-application feedback on our current designs and we now have a clear steer on the supporting documents and surveys that will be required of us in order for a full planning application to be submitted. A topographic survey and bat survey were both undertaken at the end of the month. The scale, style and layout of our proposals have had no requested changes, which is really positive for the project.

Barn Dance planning is well under way and tickets are now on sale - see the 'Fundraising Events' page for more details.

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APRIL 2019

At the Special General Meeting for members, a resolution was passed with unanimous agreement to wind up the Steering Group and transfer all assets to the newly formed charity, Widecombe Community Hall CIO. This charity will continue the work of the Steering Group to complete the design, build and eventual running of the new hall. Charity Trustees are Yvette, Sarah, Evie, Lloyd, Chris, Alan, Tim and Kris.

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MARCH 2019

Our Bright Ideas grant has been paying dividends already, with our Business Support Advisor helping us to create a Business Plan and submit an application to the Charity Commission for the registration on a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), which will be known as ‘Widecombe Community hall’. This charity will continue the work of the Steering Group in fundraising, developing the design and plans and the eventual running of the new hall on completion of the construction.

Yvette gave a report on our work over the last 12 months at the Parish Council AGM – and wow! What a lot has been achieved. A planning pre-application is currently being reviewed by Planners at DNPA and on receipt of their formal feedback, work will recommence on the detailed design of this project so that a final planning application can be submitted. Grants are currently covering the costs of the Architects, legal fees and some of the environmental surveys that will be required.

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FEBRUARY 2019

We are delighted to announce that the WVHSG Committee has been successful in its application to the Bright Ideas Fund for business development support, against strong competition from over 250 applicants.

The Bright Ideas Fund supports new community business ideas through the start-up and planning stages with tailored business support.

We have been allocated a Business Support Advisor from the Plunkett Foundation, and she will be working specifically with our organisation for 10 days to help create a formal business plan and look at our marketing and communications strategy. Both of these elements will be crucial in driving the project forward and ensuring we put ourselves in the best possible position, from which we can invite potential funders to invest.

The second stage of support from Bright Ideas is the opportunity to apply for a cash grant of up to £15,000 and our Advisor will work with us to make this application. This grant could be used to cover further business development costs, legal and registration fees for setting up as a Charity, training etc.

We would like to offer our thanks to Bright Ideas and the Plunkett Foundation for selecting our organisation and the village hall project for this valuable support.

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OCTOBER 2018 – PLANNING & PROMOTION

Did you hear Yvette, Chris and Lloyd on Michael Chequer’s Radio Devon show on Tuesday 9th October? We were invited to come and chat about life in the village of Widecombe and our plans for a new village hall. Listen again on iPlayer if you missed it!

We are in the process of applying for Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) status with the support of local Solicitors Tozers. At our committee meeting this month, it was agreed that the new charity should be called Widecombe Community Hall to demonstrate clearly that this is a building for all.

Planning design continues and committee members have been busy updating specification lists, learning about building styles such as Passivhaus (low energy buildings) and working with Structural Designer Alistair Denholm and Architect Ross Hunt to ensure that we achieve an affordable, practical and befitting building for our community. An Environmental Appraisal and Flood Risk Assessment will also shortly be undertaken to support the DNPA’s requirements for a planning application to be submitted.

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SEPTEMBER 2018 – WALK FOR WIDECOMBE

Despite the Dartmoor fog, the Walk for Widecombe and Family Fun Day went ahead on 16th September and much fun was had by all.  Enormous thanks go out to the dozens of volunteers who supported us by baking cakes, hanging bunting, putting up (& taking down) fence posts and straw bale seating, donating prizes, running stalls, serving teas, organising children’s races and maypole dancing, putting on pony rides, driving trailer loads of children around the field and of course to all those who took part in the sponsored walk and came to support the event.  Final figure still not confirmed (waiting for Gift Aid confirmation) but we anticipate having raised over £6,000!  A true community effort.

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AUGUST 2018 - EVENT PLANNING

We are working closely with Love Devon to plan the 'Walk for Widecombe' on Sunday 16th September and events in the Fair Field during the afternoon - free entry.

There will be music from local singers, a family dog show, pony rides, village fete activities for children, bar from the Rugglestone Inn, local food, children's races and more from midday until 5pm.

The sponsored walk from near the Warren House Inn and horse-ride from Jimmy Frost's stable are now open for registration - forms available here!

Put the date in your diary and come and join us for a family day out to help kick-start our fundraising programme.

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AGM 2018 – THE VOTES HAVE BEEN COUNTED!

Residents and members have cast their votes at the AGM and we are delighted to report that with an overwhelming majority, the Feasibility Study recommendations have been supported.

135 votes were received from across the Parish, representing approximately 25% of the electorate. 123 votes were in favour. 4 votes were against. 8 voters abstained.

The Steering Group will now continue its work in moving this project forward. Thanks you to all those involved in the work to date and those who have voted to make this happen.

We are always looking for new volunteers to get involved or join the Committee – for more information, please get in touch. Contact us here

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July 2018 – AGM & PARISH VOTE

The Feasibility Study has now been published and was formally presented to the Widecombe Parish Council at their meeting in early July. Residents of the Widecombe Parish and paid up members of the WVHSG are now invited to cast their votes – do you support the recommendations of the Study? A brief overview the recommendations of the report are as follows:

• A new modern, accessible hall is demanded and would be advantageous in Widecombe.

• The Hayes Field is the appropriate location for this new building.

• A multi-contract or design-and-build approach will be needed in order to deliver a cost-effective hall. It will also be necessary to make use of volunteers and skilled labour locally.

• Integrated Heritage Centre facilities have the potential to benefit the village but the ongoing educational and interactive requirements that unlock Heritage Lottery funding along with the future running of such a facility do not appear to be supported locally. This aspect of the original architect’s design cannot currently be supported.

• New sports changing facilities should be integrated into the design to support new fitness and sports groups in the hall, but also to link with the existing Sports Group by replacing their dated facilities.

• The hall will need to be built within a budget of around £600-£700k, in-line with the anticipated sums that can be raised from grants, loans and local fundraising. A key piece of the funding jigsaw is a request from the Parish Council to apply for a Public Works Loan, available at cheap rates and much like a mortgage, is paid off over a long period. In order for this loan to be serviced, households within the Widecombe Parish would almost certainly have their council tax precept raised (by way of example, a Band D property might be looking at paying an extra £18 each year). External funders will look to the local community to see what financial support is in place here before committing their own funds to the project.

• Further design is required to determine the final form and finish of the building and value engineering will occur to ensure that what gets built is both befitting of the village, but represents good value for money.

• The WVHSG recommends that a building of approximately 400m² would be feasible and should be built.