PRESS RELEASE - August 2015 - Pentredŵr and District Community Association
Grant Aided Refurbishment Project Under Way Thanks to WREN
The community association has been fortunate in receiving very generous funding from WREN, the not for profit business that awards grants to community projects from funds donated by FCC Environment to the Landfill Communities Fund. With a grant of £58,000 we are undertaking a renovation project to bring the Old School in Pentredwr up to date for community use whilst not losing the character of the building. The refurbishment will cover a large part of the works needed to achieve this as detailed below:
Tripping the light fantastic a thing of the past: the parquet floor had been a nightmare for many years with huge height variations due to penetrating damp being a hazard when holding our very popular Ceilidhs and barn dances. The WREN grant has enabled us to have the floor dug out and replaced with a new level insulated concrete floor as is pictured(2). Volunteers from the community (pictured 1) helped remove the parquet tiles for recycling in a dirty but satisfying work session before the professionals came in with the heavy machinery. The parquet floor will be re-laid early in the new year when the concrete floor has completely dried out and we will hope to hold our inaugural dance event shortly thereafter.
Wind in the Willows: set in the pretty village of Pentredŵr (amidst birch trees rather than willows), the winters were always chilly with biting winds whipping through the old windows and with cold walls only just warming up at the end of an evening’s entertainment. The WREN grant has allowed us to install new windows (pictured 3) from local firm Snowdonia Windows which have made draughts a thing of the past and the expertly installed wall and loft insulation should keep us warm whilst halving our heating bills and reducing our worries of bust pipes in winter considerably.
Works in Progress: Finally, the WREN grant has enabled us to rewire the building and install fire alarm circuitry, and to repair external woodwork, brickwork and roofing. This is currently being worked on and should be finished in early September when it will be back to our hardy group of volunteers to take on the internal and external decorating of the hall to show off all our fantastic renovations to their very best. We plan a 2 week working party from 5 to 21 September to get on top of these works and any volunteers who are handy with a paintbrush should contact our chairman, Paul Coleman(07710 210943), who will be co-ordinating the working party teams.
We are so grateful to a large number of donors, supporters and grant givers for their help in getting this project moving so well – a result which up to 2 years ago we could scarcely have dreamed possible. We will be holding a celebration of progress made later this year where this will be acknowledged and all can come to see the new look building and will publicise the date in the coming weeks.
Supporting Information for editors:
Pentredŵr and District Community Association is a charity established to promote community cohesion and activities in and around Pentredŵr, a picturesque village set in the arms of the Horseshoe Pass. It occupies the Old School House in the village which operated as a school between 1909 and 1982 when it became the village hall.
Contact: Chairman – Paul Coleman, Y Pandy, Pentredwr, Llangollen, LL20 8DD. Phone: 01978 869299, 07710 210943. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Need for Renovation. The building is now over 100 years old and parts of the fabric required replacing due to the ravages of time. In addition, the radiant electric heaters were inefficient and expensive to run, the electrical installation past its sell-by date and the whole in need of a face lift. The object of this and other parts of the renovation plan has been to make the building a more attractive place for both letting as holiday accommodation and community events/community groups to use. Grants have been provided from a number of quarters and enthusiastic help from volunteers has in part matched the funds needed for materials and professional support.
WREN is a not for profit business that awards grants to community, environmental and heritage projects across the UK from funds donated by FCC Environment as part of a voluntary environmental tax tax credit scheme called the Landfill Communities Fund. Since 1998, WREN has granted over £150M to more than 6,000 projects which benefit people living within 10 miles of a FCC Environment landfill site. For more information please visit www.wren.org.uk