Villagers in Perranuthnoe are celebrating an injection of £25,000 to fund a major revamp for their Church Room, creating a home for a wide variety of community groups. A public meeting is being held in the parish church at 7.15pm on Friday, April the 30th to showcase the planned improvements and residents are invited to share their ideas for the new activities which could take place in the building.
The £25,000 will pay for improvements to disabled access, a hearing loop, damp-proofing and a redesign of the kitchen area and numerous small details which will make a big difference especially to the very young, the elderly and the disabled members of the community.
Coby Llewellyn, Church Treasurer explains, “We are fortunate to have a very active community in Perranuthnoe. It’s a relatively small space, but this funding, coupled with some very creative ideas put forward by local people, means that we can turn the Church Room into a comfortable, flexible space; a real focal point for village life.”
The villagers raised the first £2,700 through its popular Open Gardens event, volunteers then applied to the Church and Community Fund who granted £5,000 and to the Big Lottery Fund who granted the maximum £10,000. Villagers were delighted with these grant awards and the final piece of the jigsaw was found from Church reserves and generous private donations.
Volunteer, Katie Kirk, said “These projects only work if everyone brings a little something to the table – be it knowledge, time, ideas, energy or finance. Last year villagers turned out to a really useful consultation event and gave us their ideas for improvements to the fabric of the building. Now the building plans are finalised we are inviting people to share their ideas once again, looking towards the new activities that could take place once the build-work has been completed.”
Ideas already suggested include art classes, a photography club (already under way), keep fit, relaxation and gentle exercise, computer classes, games nights, a book club and music rehearsals, but if readers have any new ideas, please contact Katie Kirk before the meeting on PZ 710907 or email Perranuthnoe@hotmail.co.uk
Michael Ball, Church Warden said “We have had tremendous support from so many people in the village and we would like to thank all those who open their gardens to the public each summer, the people who make and serve all the refreshments, the washer-uppers, the stall holders and raffle-sellers, the people who’ve designed the project as well as those individuals who’ve quietly given financial donations.”
The presentation on Friday 30th will be short with plenty of time afterwards for people to view the plans and actively share their ideas over a cup of tea.
