Blindcrake Village Hall
HISTORY
Blindcrake Village Hall was converted from a row of cottages in the late 19th century by the Vicar of Isel, Reverend William Hutchinson Sharpe. It was vested in the Church of England Diocese for the use of the community in 1897.
A Lease and Trust Deed was agreed in 1988 and the Management Committee became a registered charity in September 1993. We converted to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 20th January 2017 and secured a new fifty year lease in June 2018.
TRUSTEES
The Charity Trustees form the Village Hall Management Committee. Our CIO constitution allows for up to six elected Trustees, up to nine appointed from user groups, and up to three co-opted by the Charity Trustees. Trustees are elected by parish residents at our Annual General Meeting each May and new elected Trustees will always be welcome. Any user groups or organisations operating in the Parish who wish to nominate a Trustee to the Committee should contact the Chairman.
We currently have the following Trustees:
- Neil Pilling (Chair)
- Ros Berry (Treasurer)
- Cathy Keough
- Graeme Forrester
- Craig Oliver
The Management Committee is also keen to welcome new co-opted Trustees onto the Committee, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested.
REFURBISHMENT
In 2020-21 we had a major refurbishment to our Hall, with a new acoustic ceiling in the main hall, insulation, damp proofing, new lighting, complete rewire and fire alarm system, a refitted kitchen and new double-glazed windows.
After the last renovations the committee now have plans to further improve the hall. We want to bring the heating up to modern standards with a renewables-based system, as well as completing the insulation of windows, doors, walls and main-hall floor. This will enable us to provide a warm, comfortable environment for community events, with heating which is controllable and affordable to run. We hope that the revamped hall would then enable us to provide a warm space with heating, back-up electricity and broadband for the community, in the event of power cuts. The plan is that we use solar panels (PV panels to generate electricity), and an Air Source Heat Pump.
The committee are delighted that we've already been successful in raising a substantial portion of the money required and our thanks go to the Tallentire WindFarm Fund for their generosity. We are now busy gaining the necessary planning permission and raising the remaining funds needed to complete the whole project. When we are ready to go, the hall will be out of use for a period of time. We'll update everybody about the start date, and the duration of the works, when we know more. In the meantime, we'll carry on using the hall as normal, but we'll only be taking bookings and making firm plans, for 2 months ahead.
We’re grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund, Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), Cumbria Community Foundation, Blindcrake Parish Council, and Blindcrake Parish Charity for generous help with funding, and especially to Action with Communities in Cumbria (ACT) for help with funding applications. Thanks also to our architects, Day Cummins, and all our volunteers.
