£500,000 handed to community halls as a 'legacy' from Sedgemoor District Council

Rural village and community halls across the Sedgemoor District Council region have been handed a share of half a million pounds.

In all, 26 halls have received some of the cash as a legacy from the local authority ahead of the new Somerset Unitary Authority coming into power next month.

A commemorative plaque was handed over the representatives of the each of halls on Thursday afternoon, March 16th at a ceremony held at Woolavington Village Hall.

Councillor Duncan McGinty, Leader of Sedgemoor District Council said: “As a rural area, we know that the village or community hall is often the heartbeat of that community. From art classes to Zumba, halls host a whole myriad of activities for their communities.

"We wanted to make sure that we could help our halls in the last days of Sedgemoor District Council, to make sure that they continue to provide such a vital part of life for many residents.”

Sedgemoor wanted to recognise the importance of the network of Community and Village Halls to the communities they serve. Many Hall Committees are made up of volunteers who work hard to keep charges affordable, which means that whilst routine maintenance costs are generally covered, it is very hard to build up funds for major capital works.

That is why a capital fund was created to help halls with works that will improve the use of the halls.

Chairman of Sedgemoor District Council, Cllr Alan Bradford was joined by Portfolio Holder for Communities, Cllr Janet Keen, at the event where they met with Trustees and management members of the village and community halls who have received grants.

They siad: “This event was a way of Sedgemoor District Council to say a very big, heartfelt, thank you to all those Trustees who, come rain or shine, turn out to make their spaces available to everyone. We also thank the committee of Woolavington Village Hall for their generous gesture of hosting the reception.”

Halls which have received funding

• Ashcott Playing Fields in relation to the Pavilion - £ 5,800 for solar panels
• Berrow Community Association Limited - £6,000 for solar panels and a battery
• Brent Knoll Parish Hall - £9,588.54 for solar panels and a battery
• Broomfield Village Hall - £50,000 to address rising damp, insulating the roof and replacing windows
• East Huntspill New Village Hall - £8,727.83 to improve the efficiency of hall heating and lighting
• Lyng Village Hall - £6,865 to replace external foord and windows, insulate roof space and deal with rising damp
• Middlezoy Community Project - £36,200 to repair and upgrade the timber frame of the hall
• Moorlinch Church Hall Committee - £46,330 to improve energy efficiency, build more toilets and provide 'more flexible spaces'
• Nether Stowey Village Hall and Recreation Ground - £50,000 to relocate the Stowey Centre to the Recreation Ground
• North Newton Village Hall - £26,672 to upgrade gents toilet and shower
• Othery Village Hall - £28,389 to refurbish the main roof and flat rooves, install solar panels, add battery storage and provide EV charging
• Over Stowey Village Hall and Recreation Ground - £50,000 to repair and insulate roof in preparation of reinstalling the original bell tower
• The Village Hall (Shapwick) - £17,159.62 to extend the kitchen and relocate the toilets
• Theale Village Hall - £41,609 to repair the roof, replace windows and doors as well as the floor of the main hall
• Village Hall, East Brent - £6,551 to upgrade the insulation and heating
• Wedmore Village Hall - £35,500 to upgrade the Snug including new windows, insulation and upgraded LED lights
• Wembdon Village Hall and Playing Fields Trust - £50,000 to add a new wing to the village hall, accommodating two sports changing rooms, a storeroom and extending the small kitchenette
• Westonzoyland Village Hall - £8,307 to change all lighting to more energy efficient alternatives and to refurbish the main hall floor
• Westonzoyland Village Hall - £7,854.55 to update the central heating and water boiler
• Woolavington New Village Hall - £8,446.46 to install solar panels and battery storage

In addition to this funding above - totalling £500,000 - other grants paid out by Sedgemoor District Council in 2022 via their 'normal' grant scheme included:

• Burnham-on-Sea Community Centre - £10,000 to repair the roof
• Cheddar Village Hall - £10,000 to remove a load bearing wall to create two smaller rooms
• Enmore Memorial Hall - £8,530 to add a solar and battery unit
• Highbridge Community Hall - £4,000 to replace the arched feature window
• St Georges Newtown, Bridgwater - £10,000 to repair the roof and replace windows and radiators
• Woolavington Village Hall - £2,298 to improve the hall's insulation

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.