Odd jobs and first party (and new boiler)

Yesterday saw the old boiler removed and the first phase of a new heating system carried out which included fitting a new condensing boiler.  A new flu has appeared at the side of the building and the old boiler was lugged away for (other!) uses by the Rabbit.

Akela replaced the mens toilet seat with nice new a plastic white job.  The previous seat had broken at the hinge.

Two fire extinguishers had been swung on by small people, so they were rehung this morning...  With MUCH BIGGER screws.

Some external pipe holes (in he wall) were sealed in the kitchen and this should reduce heat loss (a little).

A booking for a childrens party has just got underway.  Tables were pulled from under the stage for use during the party.

Finally, Jan has sown the header tape onto the stage curtains and they were hung by Akela and Leo.  Whilst they look brilliant (with the hooks moved to the lowest setting), the curtains are not opening and closing as they should (they still move).  We can look at the mechanism in a few days as the curtains can be manually opened and closed.

Ridgeway Bell text for Nov issue

Calley Memorial Hall update

The Memorial Hall is now open for business and we have seen significant numbers of villagers use the hall since we opened in early September.  The hall calendar is already hectic, the only week day we don’t have a regular booking is Friday.   We believe that our objective of creating a social hub for the village is very achievable.

On the evening of 8^th October Beaver Scout parents were invited to tea and cakes in the hall.  The hall was full of parents and grandparents being served by Beaver Scouts.  The atmosphere was superb.  A game of bingo was held and proved very popular with all ages.  If a member of the village would like to run a regular bingo session in the hall, please contact me and we will support the event.

Our hall open days proved very popular and it’s clear we have a lot of support in the village.  One theme that came out in discussions, was an aspiration to have a ‘non Scout’ youth club in operation.  We would like to hear from you if you have the energy required to support young people meeting at a youth club.

Visible changes took place in early October, with the leaking black guttering being replaced and external roof woodwork replaced with gleaming white fascia.  With the Parish Councils positive move to financially support the project with a £5000 grant, the guttering and electrical rewire are both being funded by PC monies.  We thank the PC and you the tax payers for this much needed support.

October will see a donated brand new boiler fitted into the hall and plans are underway for disabled access to the hall.  Also during October, quotes are being obtained to replace doors and windows with double glazed, low maintenance units.  In an ideal world we would like to use monies from the Memorial Hall fund to replace the windows and doors.  Trustees of the hall fund have looked at our business plan and are broadly supportive.

On 15^th November (2pm to 5pm) a table top sale is being held in the hall.  At £5 per table this should be a great place to sell your goods and support the Scout Group.

On 27^th November we are holding a ‘grand opening dance’.  This is to celebrate the reopening of the hall and is a way to thank those who have supported and given so generously to the project.  Tickets are on sale for this event. At £3 for adults and £2 for children this event is great value as a live band will be playing and a bar will be available.

The hall is now available for hire and Chiseldon residents get a discounted rate. We already have a number of children’s parties booked in.

In November, a hall management committee will be formed.  Terms of reference are being drawn up now and we would like to hear from villagers who feel they could actively contribute to the operation and management of the hall.

Peter Snipe
Group Scout Leader – 1^st Chiseldon Air Scout Group

Google Adsense | Guttering | Tea time

Akela set up a Google Adsense account and activated it on the blog.  So far the account shows we have made £7.60.  I dont think we get a cheque until we make £60, so please ckick on the ads (to the right)...

The guttering work should complete today.  The new heating boiler is planned to be installed over the weekend by Martin Farmer.  This should set hall users up for a toasty winter.

Yesterday evening I popped into the hall to see how Beavers were doing and help tidy up.  Beavers were serving hot drinks and cake to relatives.  I walked in to find the hall full of people having a lovely tea party!  Even with no heating, we didnt need heating!  This kind of community event makes all the effort we put in very worthwhile.  An excellent performance from Zazu (Beaver leader) and her helpers. 

Zazu held a game of bingo. It was clear there is a keen fondness for bingo and that we need to start bingo sessions for some nof our older community members!

Guttering underway

Its day four of the guttering, woodwork and frontage wood works.  Rotten and damaged wood has been replaced with new wood and covered in white plastic (the hope is that we dont have to paint in a hurry).  Down pipes are fitted and the front 'inverted V' is being sorted as I type.  The transformation is impressive and striking.  The colour is white and will match the white window and door units we are currently seeking quotes for.

The first invoice (electrical rewire) of the £5K approved by the PC has been submitted to the new parish clerk. 

Monday's lift of the tank to the rear of the premises didnt happen as the delivery truck had problems.  We are shoorting for tomorrow (Friday), so please come along about 4:30pm.

The heating boiler is planned for replacement on Saturday.  This is no small task.  We have been very well supported by local tradesmen and some not so local companies.

Invites (and complimentary tickets) to be sent to those who have assisted in works so far are in the process of being drafted (Leo has the tickets made already).  As soon as the letters have been sent, the rest of the tickets can go on sale to Chiseldon residents.

The stage curtains are with Jan and they are having header tape added, so we can open and close them when fitted on the stage curtain rail. 

Earlier in the week we checked the number of tables we could fit in the hall.  Here is a picture of our lighting and table playtime.

Moving to rock solid

We now have a new plynth for the tank.  It took most of Tuesday.  Big thanks go to the Veveri, Mowgli and Akela. 

I stood on the slab this afternoon and its looking good.  we should be able to remove the wooden shuttering later in the week.

The gas cage took some coaxing back into place (over the top of wet concrete). 

Between cage and tank we now have space for storage of our BBQ's and other iron work.

Hard labour

The skip was picked up this morning.  Full of earth plus my old faithful wheelbarrow, its back broken by the strain.

Shuttering is now in position for a slab pour tomorrow.  We have the free loan of a concrete mixer and the materials have been ordered to arrive tomorrow morning.  When you dont order or lay concrete, arriving at the right amounts can be fraught (thanks to Baggy for use of his worry beads).

The stage has been cleared of kit, with the bulk of the equipment placed in racks in the loft.  This was no mean feat.  I admit that this did include a trip to the local 'civic amenity site' (the rubbish tip).

Thanks to Mowgli for his help (part repaid by taking him out to lunch).

Tomorrow will be a heavy day and given one cubic metre of concrete is 2.2 tonnes, we will have our work cut out moving 325kg of cement and three bags of balast (we need 1850kg, but I had to order more than we need), we can expect the day to be hard one.

19:40 Update:  Just been and bought another wheelbarrow.  My last one died as Mowgli dumped earth in the skip.  I feel justified getting a new one, as the old one was much loved.  RIP Ronny the wheelbarrow.

Balast down and shuttering up

We used the blocks we removed yesterday as balast and employed some gash wood the Veveri pulled from his garage as shuttering.  We have a small amount of shuttering left to put in place and then its out with the worry beads and decide which concrete to order.