Village hall redevelopment one step closer after donation

A project to revitalise Scothern Village Hall has received a second cash injection from a Lincolnshire housebuilder.

Chestnut Homes has donated another £10,000 towards the refurbishment or rebuilding of Scothern Village Hall - the second of three £10,000 instalments that the company has agreed to contribute.

Plans to redevelop the village hall were first drawn up by the Spirit of Scothern group in 2014. The group is continuing to fundraise with the aim of starting rebuilding work at the end of 2018.

Last year Chestnut Homes – which is close to completing work at its development in the village, The Grange – committed to investing £30,000 into the project.

Steve Taylor, chairman of the Spirit of Scothern, said: “We’re currently busy raising money and applying for grants to make sure we’re in a healthy position when work does begin. “As the village continues to grow, it’s important that the village hall keeps up with that expansion. “The hall is in constant use throughout the year and clubs are struggling to find alternative places to hold their functions.

“Refurbishing or rebuilding the village hall will not only bring our facilities into the 21^st century but will also accommodate clubs to run simultaneously, providing more options for the village. “We’re very grateful to Chestnut Homes for their continued support of the redevelopment.”

Spirit of Scothern has worked on the plans for the hall with design students from the University of Lincoln, as well as carrying out a consultation to gauge the opinions of local residents.

David Newton, Managing Director for Chestnut Homes, said: “Scothern Village Hall is the hub of the village, so we’re very proud to be supporting the group’s tireless work to breathe new life into it.

“The hall is now more than 60 years old and the building has seen better days, so it’s important that it’s brought up to date for everyone that uses it.

“As a county housebuilder, we pride ourselves on contributing to the communities we build in. Our work with Spirit of Scothern is just one example of this and we look forward to working with the group in the future.”