Updating of the hall has been continuous for the past 15 years to give us a facility that is fit for the next generation of Gunnas. It is good to see the improved hall being used by so many more people. Our next project is to renovate the horrid old 1980s toilets. I’m pleased to say that we successfully bid for funding from the national lottery to help renovate the toilets and this work should go ahead in October/November 2021.

Improvements to the outside area in 2020

2020 was a tough year for everyone with the COVID-19 outbreak. The hall was closed but we were able to improve some of the areas outside the hall during the lockdown.

The area next to the hall had been full of overgrown weeds and building rubble for years. Thanks to the work of many wonderful volunteers we have been able to transform this area into a pleasant and useful seating area. It will now be called the village hall garden!! See the transformation below…..

Renovations in 2019 were funded by…

The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Big Lottery Fund unveils new logo as it changes name | Third Sector

The National Lottery

……and local donations.

In April 2018 we were successful in obtaining £53 000 from the EU rural development fund. Our success was helped by a generous pledge of £12 000 from Clungunford Sports & Social Club.

In January 2019 we secured additional funds of £10 000 from the National Lottery’s Community Fund.

The money went towards further refitting of the hall interior. This included:

The new east room extension was completed internally;
the electrics in the original main hall were replaced and new lighting installed;
the old false ceiling was removed;
the stage area was updated with a flexible stage; and
a new movable wall was constructed between the main hall and the east room to allow these spaces to be used separately, or as a single large space.

The new kitchen was already completed and, with this work, we will have a much improved facility for the parish. With these improvements we want to ensure that the hall is used by more people for more activities in the future.

The old bar in the building has also been completely renovated, mainly thanks to the excellent DIY-builder skills of David Wilkinson. We hope to finish the last area of renovation later this year and modernise the bar/lounge/family-room area into a single comfy space.