Village hall more accessible thanks to community asset grant scheme

Loppington Village Hall is a busy community centre in North Shropshire and achieved some much-needed repair work thanks to financial support from Shropshire Council’s community asset grant scheme.

Thanks to a grant of £2,854 from the scheme, several necessary improvements have been carried out for the benefit of all those who use the premises.

The centre was remodelled on the old primary school built in 1861 and maintenance and repair is a continual ongoing process – a leaking roof over the disabled toilet, damp in some walls, which probably had no damp course, and a manhole cover in the car park buckling under the strain of much heavier vehicles.

Loppington Village Hall

All the necessary improvements are now in place and the village hall committee are very grateful to have received funding from the CAPGS to enable the work to be carried out so promptly.

The hall is in daily use throughout each week. A wide range of activities include pilates, yoga, parents and toddlers, pre-school dance group, WI, youth club as well as the annual flower and vegetable show and church fetes. It is also available for hiring by outside agencies.

One of the committee members, John Bulmer, manages the repair and maintenance work that is needed. He has contacts with a wide variety of local trades people, who have carried out the necessary work.

Grants totalling more than £140,000 were awarded to community groups across Shropshire to boost their recovery from the pandemic as part of the council’s government-funded ARG programme.

The design of the pilot grant scheme to benefit community assets is thanks in large part to a VCSA-led discussion with voluntary and community partners to make recommendations about the best way to target the ARG funds.