Residents celebrate village hall funding

Crucial funding supporting village halls and community buildings at the heart of life in West Devon is making a huge difference to communities – with Milton Abbot among the places to be benefiting.

Milton Abbot Village Hall has received £21,888 from the first round of West Devon Borough Council’s Community Halls Capital Grant Fund. Grants have been available for one-off capital projects that strengthen the long-term sustainability of village halls and community centres.

The grant is supporting the future use of the village hall by providing a new kitchen and flooring works, so the building can meet statutory requirements and host a wider range of community activities.

Jonathan Watson, chairman of Milton Abbot Village Hall Committee, said: “We’re delighted to have received this generous support from West Devon Borough Council. Our ageing kitchen has been replaced with something much more modern, while areas of the floor suffering from damp rot and dry rot have been replaced.

“These improvements make the hall a more welcoming place and this fantastic new kitchen gives us much more flexibility with running events and potentially generating income. We’re simply better equipped to serve the Milton Abbot community for many years to come.”

Milton Abbot is one of several communities across the borough that were supported in the first round of grants from the fund, which were awarded last year. Other projects supported include the preservation of the Long Room at Drewsteignton’s community owned pub and hub the Drewe Arms, and installation of solar panels at Sheepstor Village Hall.

Cllr Jane Elliott, lead member for community wellbeing, said: “It’s so encouraging to see the first round of funding now making a tangible difference to treasured community spaces like Milton Abbot Village Hall.

“The improvements made at Milton Abbot – and the other buildings we’ve supported already – are hugely important to their long-term viability. The kitchen is looking modern and much more user-friendly than before and creates vital opportunities for generating revenue.

“Our village halls and community centres are vital hubs that bring people together and support a wide range of activities. All that use means that these buildings suffer wear and tear over the years, and hopefully this funding can help as many buildings as possible secure their long-term status at the heart of their villages and towns.

“I look forward to seeing even more projects completed and can’t wait to see what the second round brings.”

A second round of funding has been awarded to communities in the last few months, which will help provide essential building repairs, improved accessibility, and upgrades to facilities that help reduce running costs and increase community use.

These include: