Reader’s view: spend inheritance on a new hall

RONA MOBERLY WRITES: Johnny Griss was a local legend in the Bolham valley and it was extremely generous of him to leave all his assets to the Parish.

Personally, I’ve never fished at the lakes and don’t know of many local people that do fish there. They are in a beautiful spot but unless they are opened up in some way to everyone (rather than just fishermen/women), I can’t see them being of much benefit to the local community.

In my opinion a new parish hall offers the most benefits to the local residents. I don’t think it’s a good idea to spend £100,000 on the existing hall, building an extension which will still not offer the ultimate solution, when we have such a fabulous opportunity offered by JG’s legacy to build exactly what we need.

A brand new hall could be built using the latest materials and technology, thereby minimising heating and running costs. It could be designed specifically to our needs, with plenty of room for various activity groups (everything from Art to Zumba), as well as plays, films, exhibitions, etc. I understand that a new location has also been suggested, which would provide much-needed additional parking as well as other benefits.

If a new location really is a viable option then it might even be possible (budget permitting) to keep the existing hall whilst the build was in progress (so existing arrangements would not be disrupted), and then sold once the new hall was ready for occupation. The proceeds of the sale could then be utilised to provide the other facilities that have been suggested.

Although a survey has already been undertaken, I think this was perhaps a little premature, albeit well-intended, as it wasn’t clear that funding from the JG charity was an option.

I realise of course that we have a bit of a ‘catch 22’ situation here. The JG charity members will not want to negotiate with landowners etc regarding a new hall if that is not what the parishioners want, but unless the parishioners are given a complete picture of what exactly is on offer then they cannot really vote knowledgeably.

Holding a meeting is obviously difficult due to Covid restrictions and concerns – not everyone is familiar with Zoom or even has a reliable internet connection to enable them to take part (that’s something else the JG Legacy could address) but I do think that parishioners really should be fully advised so perhaps a leaflet drop is necessary.

Once people know the full story then a 2nd survey should be undertaken. If people still vote to extend the old hall, once they have the full facts, then so be it, but we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here and I’d hate to see it wasted simply because parishioners did not know the full story!