FUND RAISING!
From a standing start as recently as August 2009, the St Martin's Hall Community Trust has already succeeded in raising considerable funding from the local area to enable purchase of the property from the Guildford Diocesan authority, under whose auspices it was offered for sale. By February 2010, after only six months' campaigning, the appeal total raised has reached some £68,000. This includes a wonderful donation of £20,000 approved by the Rural Access to Services (RASP) public body and a grant of £2000 from Farnham Town Council.
The project, if successful, will maintain the Hall as a local community facility for use by the present users, numbering up to 200 per week. The current users include a Nursery School, Guides, Brownies and Rainbows, a Yoga group and church congregation events. The Hall facilities, particularly the kitchen and toilets, need improving. Once done we believe the Hall will be attractive for other community activities and become a stronger community centre for Lower Bourne. We currently have interest from the Fleet Music Society, a Shintaido martial arts club, table tennis club and film club. Interest has also been shown in additional coffee mornings and evening lecture events.
We also see the opportunity of making the Hall an information hub for the local community.
Alternative facilities existing in the local area are too often busy, expensive and difficult for the more elderly members of the community to access.
We believe it would be a significant setback for the local community if St Martin's Hall were to close - which is the clear and present danger...
Funding for refurbishment, ongoing maintenance and development of the Hall, whilst not part of the recently-formed Trust's initial Hall acquisition project, has been identified from local groups and through the Nursery School.
It is planned to make the Hall an 'eco-beacon' for the area in support of Farnham's transition town initiative which will also give access to further funding.
Future Events:
Sept 25th: Opera Evening at St Thomas's Church
16th October: Quiz Evening and Ploughman's Supper in St Martin's Hall.
30th October: The Pumpkin Party at St Martin's Hall - children's event - daytime
November 13th: '50s/'60s/'70s Music Evening- 'Roy's Record Machine' ( date to be confirmed)
December ( date to be confirmed) Big Band event in St Martin's Church
PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT US
How can you donate?
Please send cheques to:
The Treasurer,
St Martin's Hall Community Trust,
17 Vicarage Hill,
Farnham,
Surrey, GU9 8HL
As we are a Registered Charity we will be able to claim Gift Aid on money donated, so please let us know if you are a UK tax payer. If you could also give your email address (or phone number) we will then follow up on the Gift Aid administration very soon.
We would like to emphasise that should the Trust's efforts to purchase the Hall fail, then all named donations will become void and will be returned to the donors. Any un-nominated appeal balance remaining will then be distributed to other local charities.
