Play Area Improvements
In 2023 we began fundraising for improvements to the children's play area. We currently have a swing set, toddler frame and a climbing frame for slightly older children. We have already made improvements to the toddler frame as following feedback we identified that toddlers were unable to use the netted bridge, therefore we replaced this with a wooden walkway.
We are seeking feedback from the community with regards to their needs and wishes for future developments and would welcome any suggestions. We have identified that better flooring and equipment for the older children would be a great improvement to the area.
In 2024 we hope to continue our fundraising efforts and will provide you with regular updates on the funds raised in the newsletters (please email rvhcoordinators@gmail.com to subscribe) and we also would like to make a final decision on what we are raising funds for with a hope for a late 2024/2025 build - depending on grants available.
We are seeking feedback from the community with regards to their needs and wishes for future developments and would welcome any suggestions. We have identified that better flooring and equipment for the older children would be a great improvement to the area.
In 2024 we hope to continue our fundraising efforts and will provide you with regular updates on the funds raised in the newsletters (please email rvhcoordinators@gmail.com to subscribe) and we also would like to make a final decision on what we are raising funds for with a hope for a late 2024/2025 build - depending on grants available.
Pond Improvements
On Saturday 8th June a team of volunteers led by Tom Dutson started work on the pond improvements. For a while now attempts to fix a leak in the pond have been unsuccessful – we have looked into many options of what to do with the pond and over all feedback was to make the pond smaller, in order to keep the pond as a feature of the hall. Tom put forward plans to make the pond smaller, reline the smaller pond with clay and fill in the other half of the pond and turn that into a garden area for the hall which, in time could be used by hirers. Due to the time restraints to complete this work we unfortunately had to cancel the Autumn live music and have rearranged this for 2025.
Work continued over a couple of weekends and overall, 200 tonne of rubble and soil were used to fill in the left hand side of the pond and work was started on relining the pond. Fencing has been put up to separate the pond from the garden and to reestablish the public footpath which now goes behind the pond and a gate from the patio to the garden has been installed. The new garden area was seeded and quickly turned into a beautiful grassy garden! Plants and trees have been planted around the pond and along fence lines to add some colour. Once the garden is established and able to be used the gate will be unlocked. The initial pond improvements have made some changes with the bottom of the pond now being able to retain water. Future work will include relining the sides of the pond to allow a higher water level.
A special thanks to Tom Dutson the mastermind of the whole operation, Allice Cutting, Len and Maureen Pitman, Matthew White, Emma, Oliver, Evie and Joseph Moore who have all volunteered to get this project started and finished in such a quick time! Thank you also to Agri Management Solutions (AMS) who kindly allowed the use of the digger and to Bullockhurst Farm for helping us move the soil.
A picture of the pond in March 2024, before improvements began.
Energy Improvements
We are undergoing an audit to see how we can become even more energy efficient. An area we wish to look into is replacing all doors as we have identified that these are not airtight and could be improved. We are also looking at replacing all lighting with LED lights and are exploring grants to assist with this. If anybody has any knowledge or experience in this area we would gladly welcome your support and input.