Conservation and Improvement Project - Week Ending 25th March 2016

This week the electrician has been working at the Hall adding the conduit to take the cables that will link the data projector to a computer. This will be useful for films and presentations. Final electrical cabling has been installed for the new lighting.

The main frame of the stage is now in place. This has been a challenging job as there is no space between the posts and the wall and the joiner has to slot in the mortice and tenon joints.

With the stage fixed in position it was possible to screed the floor that will be under the stage so that it will be level with the hall floor finish when the timber flooring is laid.

Richard Frost and son have now worked on the gable ends of the roof and are ready to progress with the ridge.

Conservation and Improvement Project - Week Ending 18th March 2016

This week Richard Frost the thatcher has made good progress aided by good weather. By Friday the thatch was at ridge level.

Inside the Hall the electrician replaced the old rusty electrical back boxes and fixed the armoured cable to them. The joiner worked on fixing loose wall panels and preparing the timber panelling ready for decoration. The timber for the new stage arrived on Wednesday. The first job as to mark out the floor to ensure the final flooring timbers run parallel with the stage when it is place. This was done using a laser and measuring sticks. With the floor and stage marked it was possible to fit the metal angle that will form the edge of the floor with the stage and locate the metal shoes that will hold the frame of the stage in place. By the end of the week work had started on constructing the stage. The timber has been machined, cut and jointed by Graham Haydon and is being constructed on site by Richard Slee's team.

 

Conservation and Improvement Project - Week Ending 11th March 2016

This week has seen significant progress inside the Hall. With the skimming of the roof completed it was possible to start adding lime wash. White lime wash was used as it adds most strength to the plaster. By mid-week it was possible for the scaffolders to remove a section of scaffold where the stage will be located. This is to allow the stage to be installed. Old timber remaining in the Hall was moved with the kind assistance of a willing community volunteer. On Thursday the Trustees met and as part of the meeting discussed the colour tones for the walls. Richard Slee's team had added sample contrasting colours to help the discussion. The Committee decided that further examples were needed to enable a final decision to be made. By the end of the week Richard Slee's team had prepared the timber panelling in readiness for painting and the metal angle that will form the edge of the new floor with the stage was on site.

 

 

Trustees Meeting - 10th March 2016

The Parish Hall Trustees / Management Committee held their bi-monthly meeting on Thursday.The Committee received an update on progress with the Conservation and Improvement Project. All is going to plan and it is anticipated that this phase of work will be completed in May. In addition the agenda included a discussion about the refurbishment of the kitchen. This is planned for our next Hall Improvement Project. The Parish Hall Committee have agreed to organise four main community events this year - Jazz Night (2nd July); Grand Opening of the Hall (3rd June); Queen's Birthday Event (11th June); and Worlympics (29th August) and the planning of these was discussed.

Conservation and Improvement Project - Week Ending 04th March 2016

The main work this week has involved skimming the roof and gable walls inside and progressing with the thatching outside.

Before the roof could be plastered the final fixing of electrical cabling had to be undertaken. The cables for the fire sensors have been installed and this has enabled the roof to be finally covered with plaster board and the skimming started. Skimming the roof and the gable end walls took all week. To achieve maximum strength of the plaster a slow drying time is desirable.

The weekly Project Team Meeting involving Richard Boxall (Project Manager), Richard Slee ( Main Contractor) and Steve Baber (Parish Hall Project Lead) was held on Thursday. This meeting reviewed progress including discussing any issues that have arisen during the week and focussed on the planning of the sequence of work for the following week. One issue discussed was the time-line of installing the new stage. It cannot be fitted in situ until the scaffolding has been removed in that space and the scaffolding can't be removed until the roof is finished and decorated. Richard Slee is working with the scaffolding company to find a solution so that work can continue without a break.

The weather has played a key role in affecting progress of thatching the roof this week. Storm Jake hit East Worlington which made it impossible to continue thatching during very high winds and driving rain. The tarpaulins protected the roof. During the fine weather days it was very impressive to see Richard Frost work along and up the roof fixing new thatch.