First of all a little history… the current Hall has served the villages of Helpston and Etton for nearly 80 years and you may (or may not!) be surprised to know that it was originally a Canadian first world war military hut, kindly donated to the village by the Fitzwilliam family.
The wooden hut has occupied its current site in West St since the end of the second world war, and sits on land also owned by the Fitzwilliam Estate which was rented back to the village on a ‘peppercorn’ rent agreement. The lease on the land actually expired some time ago, and understandably the Estate would like the land back, added to which if you have been inside it in recent years you will probably agree, the Hall is now old, tired, damp, too small, and in so many ways unsuitable for the growing and vibrant communities of Helpston and Etton.
The Village Hall Team believe they can do better, and that the villages deserve better.
So the challenge is on, and now is the time to renew and rebuild a Village Hall which can be fit for current times and be sustainable for the future. The team have been working behind the scenes for some years, initially tasked by the Parish Council to find land that would be suitable to create a new home for the Village Hall to be built upon. That part they admit has NOT been easy!
Land is difficult to acquire, and there is understandably sensitivity around further housing development in the village. Whilst it may have been tempting to accept ‘free’ land offers from potential developers for a new Hall, the Village Hall Committee have resisted those offers on the basis that they believe unlocking housing development will not be a price the village are prepared to pay for a new Hall.
Whilst they continue to resolve the issue of land, the committee have recently formed a project team to move forward with the concept for a new Hall. They have just embarked on the most important next step which is to gather feedback from the residents of Helpston and Etton. A questionnaire is being delivered through letterboxes in both villages to seek their views. The aim is to create a vision for the whole community.
The team have been researching other Village Halls and ‘Centres’ that exist across the region, and have been amazed by the range of new and modern buildings that have been created in recent years, which has provided them with inspiration which they hope will help to inspire others too – it can be hard to imagine what else the villages might be able to have, when all we have known is what we currently have!
They have incorporated some of those ideas into a questionnaire which they are asking Helpston and Etton residents to complete by Friday 10th May. There will be many more opportunities for people to become involved and provide feedback in the coming months, this is just the start.
We will be keeping you up to date in future issues of the Village Tribune and on our new website – www.helpstonvillagehall.co.uk and if you are interested in being involved in the project email helpstonvillagehall@gmail.co.uk
