SEVENTY villagers and sponsors gathered at Buckden Village Institute to celebrate the reopening of the hall after a nine-month long extension and renovation project.

The hall, which was built in 1912, was showing its age after more than a hundred years of regular use.

The Institute management committee embarked on a significant programme of works to improve and upgrade the fabric and facilities of the village hall, following a well-attended public meeting in early 2017 where views were sought from parishioners on the future of the hall and how it could be secured. It was clear from this meeting that was strong support in the community for the hall which is used for a variety of regular community activities, including whist, the quiz, Buckden Art Group, and Buckden Singers, together with other ad hoc events (meals, skittles etc.) which make the hall a focal point of village life. In addition, the hall is used for a variety of meetings, parties, training sessions, and elections.

Peter Vetch, chairman of the institute’s management committee said: “When we started the project, John Cowpe, who managed all aspects of the project on behalf of the committee, challenged us that we should aim to make the building fit for the next 25 years. We believe that this has absolutely been achieved, and we are all delighted with the result. The hall has always been well used but we are certain that it will get even more use now.”

A programme of works was defined and included provision of additional storage, addressing the ongoing damp problems, improving disabled access and environmental performance, installing a new kitchen and audio visual facilities, and redecoration. The intention from the start was to do a comprehensive job of work, bringing the building (as far as possible) up to modern standards, rather than simply patching it up.

Sponsorship and grants totalling some £80,000 were obtained from a variety of sources including the Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation, Buckden Parish Council, Butterfield Signs Ltd, Craven District Council, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the National Lottery Community Fund, North Yorkshire County Council, and the Sir George Martin Trust, as well as the YDNPA Sustainable Development Fund and the Craven Trust, both of which were represented at the opening.

Peter Vetch, chair of the Institute management committee, thanked the sponsors for their generosity and acknowledged the efforts of the many members of the community who had helped. He presented Mr Cowpe with a case of wine and a ceremonial trowel as a token of appreciation for all his hard work.