Riding Mill
Village Halls
November 2023
We have completed a comprehensive review of the trees surrounding the village halls as part of our duty of care towards the hall users and visitors. A copy of the report has been given to immediate neighbours, the Parish Council and the Parish Church Council. A copy has also been put on the Trustee notice boards in each hall.
As you will see from this report, the oak tree adjacent to the Millennium Hall requires yet further attention. We have spent very significant sums over the years trying to maintain this tree in a healthy state where it does not pose a threat either to people or property. Unfortunately, we can no longer justify spending our hard-earned village hall funds to maintain this ailing specimen of a great oak tree. The Trustees have reluctantly taken the decision to have the oak felled, and thus end the ongoing financial liability for a tree which is sadly approaching the end of its viability.
As part of our drive to build robust management systems, we are looking for someone with a high level of IT skills who can help us set up a secure, user-friendly, cloud-based structure for documents. We envisage this as a one-off project rather than an ongoing commitment and hope someone in the village can help.
A reminder to keep an estimate of any time you spend on volunteer activities please. It’s amazing how much time is spent in the halls, and in the garden, and we can use this to show how well used and supported the halls are when applying for grants. A sheet is up on the Trustee notice boards for you to use.
Pam Waldron
Email: pam.rmvh@gmail.com
October 2023
Congratulations to Val, Alan and all the Garden Invaders, past and present, for achieving ‘outstanding’ in the RHS Northumbria in Bloom 2023 It’s Your Neighbourhood award. We are delighted that the hard work of all the volunteers over the years which has transformed the Parish Hall garden into a lovely peaceful space has been recognised.
More good news – village hall funds received a welcome donation of £1004 from the recent Jumble Sale. Our thanks to Linda and her band of willing helpers, and to everyone who contributed jumble and/or time to make it a success.
Trustees will be at the Café in the Foyer on Monday 6 November if you would like to chat with us. We’ll be asking for feedback on the Newsletters – do you find them helpful? We’re happy to take feedback by email too: pam.rmvh@gmail.com
The work to improve thermal efficiency in the Parish Hall, mentioned in our August Newsletter, will be carried out on Tuesday 24th October when double glazed windows and destratification fans to prevent hot air accumulating in the high ceiling of the main hall will be installed.
We are putting in place more robust financial systems as a lot of work has been required to reconcile some invoices with payments. Hall users have been written to individually to ask for their help. We would like to move away from cash wherever possible as it is the least secure method of payment.
Finally, it would be helpful if you could keep an estimate of any time you spend on volunteer activities. It’s amazing how much time is spent in the halls, and in the garden, and we can use this to show how well used and supported the halls are when applying for grants. A sheet is up on the Trustee notice board for you to use. Thank you.
Pam Waldron
August 2023
We are keen to keep hall users, and interested parties in the community, up to date with what’s going on in the Parish and Millennium Halls. So, this is the first in a series of regular newsletters telling you what we’re up to – and why!
1) We have welcomed Pam and Jenny to the Trustee team and Jenny has taken over the role of Treasurer.
2) Those at the AGM will have heard about the change of charity status to an incorporated charity (CIO). That means that RMVH will be a legal entity in its own right. We hope to complete the legal process shortly.
3) We are taking the opportunity of the quieter period in the halls to do some minor maintenance, deep cleaning, sorting of cupboards etc. We hope you notice the result when you return.
4) Following on from recommendations from the Maintenance Group, we have been investigating how to improve the thermal efficiency of the Parish Hall. A package of measures is intended.
a) The first will be replacing the remaining single glazed windows with double glazed. At the rear of the building, they will be plain windows to maximise the light and will open, more easily, from the bottom. We’re hoping this work can be done late Sept/early Oct with little disruption.
b) Secondly, we are looking to install fans in the ceiling which will prevent the hot air accumulating in the high ceiling. This is known as a destratification system and is widely, and successfully used in public and commercial buildings.
c) Finally, we want to insulate the sloping sides of the PH ceiling. They will then be plastered and painted to match the walls. This is the costliest part of the plan and will require funding before it can happen.
5) The PH is now a designated Warm Hub and we have had recommendations to improve accessibility and signage. We have prioritised the necessary actions and will implement them accordingly.
Pam Waldron
RMVH Trustee
August 2023