We are delighted to bring you the news that work has been completed on our first SWG Community Building Award project - the makeover of Ford Village Hall.
You may recall we launched the award in conjunction with the Shropshire Rural Communities Charity, inviting applications from all over Shropshire from those running community buildings to tell us why they should be considered.
The aim was to find a community building in need of some professional TLC with the winner receiving £1,000 in the form of materials and expertise to improve its facilities. We had an excellent response, with Ford Village Hall being named the winner.
The project
We upgraded the toilets and refurbished the meeting room which involved a new ceiling and redecoration which has really lightened the space and made it more welcoming.
Work was delayed a little by the present Covid-19 pandemic but we were happy to get it completed as soon as we possibly could. We want to say a big thank you to AGS Projects who also helped with some key elements of the project.
The volunteers at Ford Village Hall were delighted with the finished project and we are pleased to have provided improvements which can now be enjoyed by the whole community.
The reaction
Katharine Robinson, chair of Ford Village Hall Committee, said: “We are really grateful to SWG for the work - the improvements will make a massive difference and will hopefully encourage more members of the community to come and use the hall.
“They concentrated on the hall’s meeting room, known as the Urwick Room, and the toilets which were in desperate need of attention. The Urwick Room is an ideal space for activities and meetings but has hardly been used in recent times because of its appearance.”
Julia Baron, chief executive of Shropshire Rural Communities Charity (RCC), added:
“We were delighted to get involved with SWG and the community building award because we know how much these buildings are valued by the people who use them.
“Buildings like Ford Village Hall are a vital resource to the community and
are maintained and run by hard-working volunteers who often don’t have the budget or resources to carry out improvement work themselves. Improving buildings like this makes them more viable for the future.”
Commitment to the community
SWG enjoys close ties with the community and we are always ready to help out whenever and wherever we can. Launching the SWG Community Building Award is an extension of our commitment to the community and a way of helping those who have supported us by using our services for more than 20 years.
