Major milestone reached in Careby thanks to South Kesteven District Council and National Lottery Community Fund
Ambitious plans to return a village hall to the centre of the community once more have reached a major milestone.
A new insulated roof has just been fitted at Careby Village Hall, thanks to £10,000 from South Kesteven District Council and £10,000 more from the National Lottery Community Fund.
The project presented a challenge for village volunteers as removing the old asbestos roof and replacing it with a new insulated roof coincided with recent heavy rains.
The work follows villagers starting fundraising for the restoration of the village hall 18 months ago and removing abandonned farm machinery around it.
Barbara Cooper, chairman of the Careby, Aunby and Holywell charity, says the next job will be installing handmade roadside windows before Christmas, and having volunteers paint the hall in the Spring.
Interior panelling has just been removed from the hall, but it will only be replaced when the charity has the funding.
When the panelling was removed, to help prepare for the roof being installed, a 1914 halfpenny, a Hercules Matchbox and a Lee and Green bottle was discovered hidden on various ledges.
A small oval rusty tin was also found. When its lid was prised open, inside was a torn off margin of newspaper, with a note pencilled from the original contractor who built the hall in 1926.
It said: “W.Sharpe, C.Bytham Aug 13/’26 Contractor.”
Barbara asks if anyone has any connection to the Sharpe family or has memories of using the hall in the 1950s and 1960s to contact her, so their stories can be added to the heritage villagers hope to preserve. Visit www.carebyvillagehall.com
For now, Barbara is busy applying for grants. £30,000 is needed to replace the panelling, along with installing a new kitchen and toilet, re-wiring the electricity and reconnecting the water.
A total of £29,000 was raised last year so Barbara expects it may take another year to complete the hall renovations.
“It’s hard work, but we are committed to get it done. It isn’t just going to sit there.”
