Project to create a new village hall in Barrowden is taking shape

A long-awaited new village hub, which suffered a setback due to the pandemic, is finally coming to life.

The frame of the new Barrowden Village Hall is now up and the village hall development group, which has progressed the plan, invited along the area’s MP and backer Alicia Kearns MP (Con - Stamford and Rutland) to see how things are coming along.

The village’s century-old building was pulled down in April and builders have been on the Wakerley Road site since then creating a hall which will become the centrepiece of the community and somewhere all ages can enjoy.

It has been made possible due to a £250,000 national lottery grant as well as £300,000 from the government’s community ownership fund - a bid which was supported by the MP.

Villagers have dipped into their own pockets towards the build and the parish council has taken out a £50,000 loan to help towards costs.

The building is being constructed with a timber frame and will be built from Lincolnshire limestone to compliment the homes in the village, which was named as one of the 50 best villages in the UK by the Sunday Times. There will be solar panels, large glass windows and ground source heat pumps to ensure it is efficient and eco friendly.

At one point it looked like the project would never happen. Plans for a new village hall had begun back in 2014 as the building was coming to the end of its life and was at the point of being condemned by its insurers.

Locals had spent several years drawing up plans and securing funding, but when the pandemic hit, the national funding pots were diverted elsewhere and the village hall trust committee had to go back to the drawing board.

Alicia Kearns said: “MPs can only back one project in each round, and this project was shovel ready.

“I remember when I first met the group, as at that stage they were quite deflated, due to the earlier scheme not progressing. We sat in the old rickety building, with the oil burner in the corner and it was clear they had lots of ideas. It will be a fantastic building for years to come.”

She said Rutland projects had been among the most successful in the county for securing funding with a county project receiving funding in five of the six bidding rounds.

Valerie Fraser, who chairs the village hall trust, said the hall will also become a health and wellbeing hub.

Paul Diver, who chairs the village hall development group, said the venue has always been very well used, with more than 300 bookings a year, but had come to the end of its life.

He said: “The other village hall stood for almost 100 years and we are building this new village hall for the next 100 years.”

It is hoped the venue, when reopened, will host groups for all ages, from parent groups to birthday parties and will become the new meeting place for the parish council.

The committee wanted to thank the Burghley Estate, which owns land in the village and had supported the scheme by enabling a new car park for the nearby local store, so it could continue trading throughout the build.

A time capsule will be placed in the building foundations containing elements such as a photographic diary of the build, a copy of the village newsletter and the MP has suggested the villagers all gather together for a photograph.

It is anticipated the new venue will open in the spring.