When people visit Thornham Village Hall, we hope they simply enjoy the event, class or activity they’ve come for. What often goes unnoticed is the amount of work that happens behind the scenes to keep everything running safely, efficiently and sustainably.
As the Hall approaches its 13th anniversary, having first opened its doors in September 2013, maintaining the building is becoming an increasingly important part of what we do.
The past few weeks have been particularly busy!
The exceptionally hot weather appeared to trigger one of the fire alarm sensors. Our contractors, AMR of King’s Lynn, carried out a full inspection of the system, identified the cause and gave us practical advice on how to reduce the chances of the same thing happening again.
Later in the week, Enhance visited to repair one of the emergency exit doors in the Main Hall, which had become increasingly difficult to open and close. A simpler, more reliable mechanism has now been fitted, and regular Hall users have been updated.
There were a couple of smaller jobs too, including repairs to the accessible toilet and replacing a pump within the Hall’s water system.
One of the largest maintenance tasks involved our rainwater harvesting system. Installed when the Hall was built, it collects rainwater from the roof, stores it underground and supplies water for flushing the toilets. Not only does this reduce our water bills, but it also helps reduce our environmental impact.
Like any specialist system, it needs regular maintenance. This week it was cleaned throughout and its annual water purification component replaced, helping to keep the system working efficiently for another year.
And then there was the Pavilion clock.
Some of you may have noticed that it had become stuck on GMT. The official fix from the manufacturers involved squeezing into the tiny crawl space behind the clock, following a three-minute YouTube video and, we suspect, becoming rather better acquainted with the local spider population!
As no one seemed particularly keen to volunteer for that mission, trustee Andy Arnold came up with a much simpler solution. Armed with a stepladder and the long metal pole normally used to open the loft hatch, he managed to reset the clock from the front.
We’re pleased to report that the Pavilion clock is now telling the correct time once again… and no spiders were harmed in the process.
Of course, all of this comes at a cost. Looking after a well-used community building means continually maintaining and replacing equipment so that the Hall remains safe, welcoming and comfortable for everyone who uses it.
Fortunately, there’s another group of volunteers working just as hard behind the scenes!
Our grant team spends many hours researching funding opportunities and completing detailed applications. It can be painstaking work, and many applications are unsuccessful or never even receive a response. But they keep going, because every successful grant helps improve and protect the facilities we all enjoy.
Recently, that persistence has paid off. We’ve been delighted to receive funding from Norfolk County Council, the National Lottery Community Fund, the Borough Council Community Grant scheme, charitable trusts and private donors.
Every grant, large or small, makes a real difference to the future of the Hall.
As one member of the grant team put it:
“The joy when a grant is awarded makes up for many, many hours of filling in incomprehensible forms with short deadlines.”
Whether it’s buying a 100 Club ticket, attending one of our events, hiring the Hall or simply spreading the word, every bit of support helps us maintain not only the Hall itself, but also the playing field, tennis court, children’s play area and the growing range of activities taking place here throughout the year.
And if you ever come across a grant opportunity that you think might be suitable, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact Stephanie Mocatta (company-secretary@tvhpf.co.uk)