Home   Grantham   News   Article

Subscribe Now

£880,000 Ropsley Hall officially opened




A new £880,000 village hall has been officially opened after years of hard work from the community.

Ropsley Hall, built adjacent to the site of Ropsley Memorial Hall, was officially handed over by the builders in September 2020.

However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the facility could not be opened for public use until June 2021, and an officially opening ceremony took place on Saturday afternoon (May 21).

The £880,000 for the new hall was raised through a combination of grants from the Big Lottery fund, The Football Foundation and Sport England.

The remaining money for the project came from hall funds, other charitable sources and the generosity of the people and businesses in the Ropsley area.

Ropsley Hall includes a 100+ seater main hall, a meeting/community room with space for over 30 people, fully fitted kitchen and sports changing rooms for two teams and two officials.

Ropsley Hall is officially open. (56836641)
Ropsley Hall is officially open. (56836641)

It sits on the southern edge of the village playing field which comprises of football pitches, cricket square and a playing field, as well as a flood-lit car park.

For over 70 years, the villagers of Ropsley were served by the now demolished Memorial Hall, which was built in 1949, following the fundraising efforts of the local Home Guard during the Second World War.

Six hundred pounds was raised, equivalent to around £22,000 in today's money, with £400 being used to buy the land that is now used for the playing fields and village hall.

Edwin Crow was in the Home Guard at the time and only two days before the official opening, Edwin and his bride Elsie were the first couple to have their wedding reception in the Memorial Hall, the first of many through the years.

Edwin Crow, a centenarian who got married in the former Memorial Hall, cut the ribbon. (56836645)
Edwin Crow, a centenarian who got married in the former Memorial Hall, cut the ribbon. (56836645)

Sadly Elsie passed away, but the Hall Management Committee were delighted that Edwin, who is now 100, was able to take part in the opening ceremony.

The Memorial Hall was designed as a temporary building, built from redundant military material. Over the years, many additions and changes were made: a storeroom, a kitchen, small meeting room and toilets and sports changing room were added, windows were replaced and the original brown-painted walls brightened up.

Chris Cordon of the Ropsley Hall Management Committee said: "It is unlikely that any of those who were at the opening of the original hall would have believed that the building would last as long as it did.

A crowd gathered to mark the momentous occasion. (56836651)
A crowd gathered to mark the momentous occasion. (56836651)

"However, during the 1990s and beyond it became increasingly apparent that the building was coming to the end of its life."

Roman Hoffmann became chairman of the Management Committee in 1991, a position he held for 22 years until 2013. Through much hard work, Roman, his wife Ann, and the committee were able to set aside £67,000 towards a new development, but attempts to raise the additional funding required to carry out the project were unsuccessful and plans were shelved.

Chris continued: "Paul Mason took over as chairman of the hall in 2013. Through the efforts of Paul, members of the committee and volunteers it was possible to keep the hall patched up and functional.

Roman Hoffman said a few words at the official opening. (56836625)
Roman Hoffman said a few words at the official opening. (56836625)

"However the point came when it was clear that unless a major refit was undertaken or a new hall was built, the hall would face closure.

"After public consultation, in which it was clear that villagers supported a new build project, a bid for £500,000 was submitted to the Big Lottery fund."

This bid was rejected, but a second succeeded, and further funds were obtained from various organisations and local people.

Celebrations continued inside the hall. (56836636)
Celebrations continued inside the hall. (56836636)

Initial bids from contractors to build the village hall fell significantly over budget, but after working with a project management company, a team including Paul, Chris Eveling, the Hall’s Treasurer, Trevor Hammond and David Jenkins, found a solution within budget, and the project was given the green light.

Chris Eveling, treasurer between 2009 and 2021, kept the finances of the project under control so that the building work was completed with some money to spare.

The official opening was carried out on Saturday by Edwin, Roman, Paul and Chris Eveling.

A cake to celebrate the official opening. (56836616)
A cake to celebrate the official opening. (56836616)

Chris Cordon added "[Saturday] was a proud day for all those who have worked on and supported the project over the years."

To find out more about Ropsley Hall, visit: https://sites.google.com/view/ropsleyhall/home



Comments | 0
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More