Winchester village needs £200,000 for new church hall (From Andover Advertiser)

Winchester village needs £200,000 for new church hall

11:39pm Thursday 17th January 2013 in Winchester By Joseph Curtis

A WINCHESTER village could be faced with raising £200,000 for a new church hall.

The parochial church council in Littleton asked residents for their views on a new church and community building at a meeting on Wednesday night (Jan 16).

It was held at the current St Catherine's Church hall, built in 1974, which the PCC says is no longer fit for purpose as it has heating, space and electrical problems.

Former church warden Carol Ward, of Dale Close,who chaired the meeting, said: “The problems we have is this building is poorly insulated and requires very heavy maintenance with very expensive bills.

“The PCC feels there is a need to provide a building fit for purpose as a home for various activities.”

It is used by the church for post service coffees and receptions for baptisms, weddings and funerals while a number of village groups use it including a toddlers' group and a monthly lunch club.

Thanks to work over the past year by PCC member Clive Thompsett, retired architect Richard Quick and building restorer Colin Andrews, the PCC has drawn up four proposals.

They are - do nothing to the building, spend £60,000 on refurbishing, spend £130,000 on refurbishing and an extension or spend £200,000 on a new building.

Although the final decision will be made later this month by the PCC, the majority of the crowd of around 30 voted for the extension.

Mr Thompsett, of New Road, said: “The extension would give us a decent sized kitchen, a good storage space for the playgroup, a toilet accessible to the disabled and would comply with building regulations.

“We hope this is something the PCC could undertake and the community would support.”

He urged the community to come up with fundraising ideas immediately to get a head start on the project regardless of the final decision.

Alex Shapland, of Valley Road, is head of the fundraising team and is looking for volunteers to help raise cash over the next 18 months.

To volunteer, contact Mr Shapland at alexshapland@aol.com.