Disabled ramp - work starts today

Earlier today I authorised work to start on a disabled ramp on the right door (looking from the front) of the Calley Memorial Hall.  I have consulted with the club (our land lords) and they are OK with what is proposed.  A 1.2 metre wide exit ramp will drop from a rectangular platform projecting from the doorway.  Metal rails will run around the platform and ramp.  The surface will be roughened concrete to provide grip.  Design is intended to provide ample room for double buggies, electric vehicles and wheelchairs. To reduce costs the platform and ramp will have exposed concrete sides, rather than brickwork.

Our intention is to have the disabled access complete and available for use prior to the 27/11 function.

The ramp will have a small impact on the capacity of the fire door, but given we have significant over capacity for the main exit, this isn't a practical issue.  The ramp will meet all regulations and protection will be provided for the damp proof course.

Having this work taking place, means that the right hand fire exit will be out of use for circa the next week.
 
A first today:  A home education group has used the hall.  This is another customer who had no where to meet prior to the hall being brought back into use.

Fire satisfaction and Evening Advertiser

The Fire Officer visited this morning. I am pleased to say that he will write to me and issue a letter stating that we are 'satisfactory'. Fire certificates are no longer issued.

We discussed the kitchen servery hatch and given the fire precautions we have taken and the proviso that cooking is not left unattended, we do not need to fit a hatch. He suggested that we might want to fit some doors in the future to block light and noise (during performances).

Notionally he placed us around A3 category and possibly lower than that, so we have very low risk and good control.

Hall capacity (Number of people) relates to square metres of the main room and is also influenced by exit doors (in our case double). We are good for well over our declared maximum capacity of 120 people.

Next visitors are the Evening Advertiser photographer and reporter, who should be with us around 1pm today. They responded to an email Akela sent to the editor )text of the email is below):

After nearly a decade and a half, Chiseldon's General Calley Memorial Hall (Draycott Road) is to reopen as a village hall and Scout hall. An open afternoon will take place on the afternoon of Sunday 6th September 09 to allow villagers to see progress made to date. The first hall booking will be on the evening of 9th September 09. Fittingly, the first users of the hall will be 1st Chiseldon Air Scout Group.

The Scout Group has secured a 99 year lease at a pepper-corn rent and over the last nine months, members of the Scout Group have worked to clean, repair, decorate and refurbish the hall. To date, works have been paid for by circa £3500 of Scout Group funds and a £3500 anonymous donation. To date, no other financial support has been secured but the Scout Group would like to use some of the £38,000 held in a Chiseldon village hall fund to pay for later phases of the refurbishment works such as fitting new windows, doors and repairing guttering.

Peter Snipe (Group Scout Leader) led the work and has kept the project on a very tight budget. The Scout Group wants the Memorial Hall to once again become Chiseldons social hub and already has regular bookings being taken. Scouts are an educational charity and will operate the hall on a not for profit basis on behalf of the community and for Scouts. During the refurbishment Scout Group Leaders, parents and villagers were helped by Honda staff and local small businesses. Peter recollects: ''The two most exciting parts of the project were electrifying, - seeing mains power being laid across Draycott Road into the hall and turning the new main hall lights on after the first phase of the electrical rewire.'

The open afternoon starts at 2pm on Sunday 6th September 09. Cream teas and refreshments will be available.

Lets see if the Evening Advertiser can help release funds from the village hall trust...

Minor update

The electrical rewire should complete over this (bank holiday) weekend. We have the fire officer revisiting us on 1st September to review what we have done (he recommended a list of actions and all but one will have been carried out by the time he arrives).

The outstanding fire action item is the kitchen servery hatch. We dont have £760 plus VAT and we have asked him what DIY solutions he would accept...

The flag pole holder arrived (from ebay land) and this will need screwing to the wall - probably at the same time as we put up the large QE II portrait.

I met with a trustee (and adviser to the PC) in the hall late this afternoon. Lets see if we can finally secure some financial support from pot holders in the village. A key time is the September PC meeting. If we are not supported financially, the Scout Group will have to embark on a serious fund raising programme that will enable this project to complete.

Fire signs and exts hung

The water, foam, Co2, dry powder extinguishers and the fire blanket have all been hung. Signs have been affixed to the wall above each fire extinguisher station using 'no nails'. I realise we are short by three 'fire exit' signs. I didn't order them and can't think what I was thinking of. As a penance, I will take a trip to a local sign shop and buy 'em my self on Monday.

I need to hoover the dust up from drilling, but the fire extinguishers being hung, add to the professional way the hall looks.

Ivor delivered the wood he will use to create racks in the boiler room and this is currently sitting in the hall - along with far more camping kit than I thought we had... Could be a challenge stowing it - but I expect we will resolve this in the next week.

That little red light on the power board isnt half good! It really makes me feel like we are doing this and that we will overcome financial challenges brought about by lacklustre (read potentially no) support from local fund holders.