APHEx funding success

HCA seed-corn funding

The Audlem Public Hall Extension (APHEx) Committee were delighted to learn on Tuesday that their application for funding from the HCA (Homes and Communities Agency) had been successful.

Before anyone gets too excited, it must be emphasised that this funding (about £23,000 all told) is only to cover the planning phase of the project, although it does not have to be returned if the project goes no further. Nevertheless it is a significant achievement and recognition that a major funder has given our plans its support.

The rest of the cost, which might be as much as £500,000 or more, will have to found from other sources, and the APHEx committee is busy trying to identify potential funders such as WREN, Football Foundation and Big Lottery- Reaching Communities Funding.

The committee will now concentrate on refining the details of the proposed extension as far as this can be done at this stage so that an architect can be commissioned to do some detailed design and produce costings.

Requirements for the extension

To do this, it is essential that everyone can have their say as to what the extension should provide. Currently, responding to the needs of the groups concerned (who make up the APHEx team), it is proposed to include the following facilities

• Changing rooms and showers for football (Audlem Saints and Audlem FC)
• Suitable rooms for the use of ADCA (Audlem and District Community Action) for its Tuesday Day Club and Friday coffee mornings (replacing the former Thornton House facility) and for other similar small meetings
• Extra changing rooms and storage space for 5As productions
• Provision for youth club space

Where possible all the facilities will be multi use. A couple of other features which have been suggested are

• A small consulting room for use by medical consultations for which there is no space available in the Medical Centre or physiotherapy and alternative therapies e.g. Reflexology/Reiki.
• Space for a mini-gym
• Provision for University of Third Age (U3A) to hold courses in Audlem

Your comments

The APHEx committee would be delighted to hear any views or suggestions about the proposed extension project. The need for better facilities was established in both the 2005 and 2010 Parish Plans but it is intended to carry out a further consultation during the next few weeks including a questionnaire about the project to all households in Audlem, Hankelow and Buerton.

Please send any comments to Roland Hall, Chairman, APHEx
email rolandhall@bryantsbottom.plus.com

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.