Great news for APHAx

The APHAx Committee is delighted to be able to reveal, now that the news has appeared on the Big Lottery Fund's own website, that the Audlem Public Hall Annexe project has got through Stage 2 of the BLF funding process.

This means that the Lottery Fund will now allocate nearly £40,000 to allow APHAx to develop the project to stage 3 and our architect can proceed to the point where building regulations have been obtained and documents prepared for going out to tender.

The half-million pounds needed to actually build the Annexe is not yet assured, but the BLF have indicated that they like our project and they will be closely liaising with us throughout Stage 3 (the final stage) of the bid.

So perhaps we can now, for the first time since the project was first mooted some three years ago, start to talk about "when" rather than "if" the Annexe is built.

The Annexe will include facilities for

• ADCA and its support for disadvantaged and isolated older people.
• The Youth Club.
• 5A's with rehearsal and changing rooms
• Changing rooms for football, tennis and so on.
• A fitness room.

and all of these will be non-specific so that they can be used for a wide variety of other purposes.

The current timetable suggests that the Annexe will be operational sometime between Autumn 2016 and Spring 2017 – but there are many things to be sorted out before the Annexe is open for business, and APHAx will be seeking support both in terms of funding and of people willing to help before the project is completed.

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