Desperate appeal for help to fund urgent repairs to village hall affected by heavy rains

Villagers battling to raise thousands to renovate their community hall have been hit with another repair bill as the heavy rain storms have caused the roof to spring a leak.
Wilsford village hall - the flat roof section at the front needs £7,000 worth of urgent repairs after heavy rains caused it to leak. EMN-190613-174419001Wilsford village hall - the flat roof section at the front needs £7,000 worth of urgent repairs after heavy rains caused it to leak. EMN-190613-174419001
Wilsford village hall - the flat roof section at the front needs £7,000 worth of urgent repairs after heavy rains caused it to leak. EMN-190613-174419001

Wilsford Village Hall needs to raise a total of around £7,000 to replace parts of its roof after damage in high winds and rain.

Bex Mezzo, chairman of the hall management committee explained that problems initially arose in September when a neighbour alerted them to problems with the small, flat roofed section at the front of the hall where the toilets and a small meeting room are located.

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She said: “We had a temporary repair done to see us through the winter and aimed to raise the £6,000 needed to do the work properly. So far we have raised £3,500 plus money we had originally set aside to fix windows, but we were hoping to wait until this autumn to do the main repairs.

“But the heavy rains have found a way through intlo the flat roof section again and into our gents’ toilets, so we will have to close that off.”

The area has seen two months worth of rain in two days and this morning Lincolnshire Police received 373 calls for assistance - many weather-related including collisions, fallen trees, roads and houses flooded - in the first five hours of the shift. Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Control Room says it dealt with 71 calls overnight, with 31 being attended to assist residents concerned about flood water.

Mrs Mezzo said: “We raised £200 from a fund raising fashion show event last night. We have had a friendly electrician make sure it is all safe but we have re-checked the quote for repairs - including guttering, bargeboards and soffits to make it look smart - and it has risen to £7,000. So we still need £3,500 to get the work done and it is just a matter of time before the rain comes in elsewhere so we need to get it sorted.”

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Once the roof is fixed they can refit the toilet blocks as part of their five year plan of refurbishments to make it an attractive venue again.

Mrs Mezzo said they are appealing for anyone to help with ideas for fundraising events or a business that can help.

“It is a cause for concern and we would like to get it sorted soon,” she said. “Then we can continue to use the hall for the community and functions. It is used by the village brownies and they are having an afternoon tea with auctioneer Colin Young of BBC Gargain Hunt on June 23. They are also looking forward to the pantomime in 2020 and want to set up a youth club in the autumn.

Tickets for the “Afternoon tea with Colin Young” of BBC Bargain Hunt are £15 from Wilsford Shop.

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