A leading housebuilder has stepped in to help renovate a historic and much-loved village hall near to one of its new developments in North Bristol.
Barratt Homes has donated £1,000 towards the refurbishment of the Grade II listed Henbury Village Hall which dates back to 1624.
Barratt’s Bristol-based team, which is building a range of 3 & 4 bedroom homes at Northfields Park, nominated Henbury Village Hall to receive its monthly community donation in recognition of the hall’s vital role in bringing the community together.
The investment has been made in the Henbury Village Hall 2020 Vision Project, which is now underway and will deliver a fully modernised facility that maintains its historic character along with a new fully accessible entrance and complementary contemporary extension. The building, which was originally a charity school for boys, was converted to a village hall in 1979 following a campaign led by the local community.
Only a selected number of homes remain available at nearby Northfields Park, Patchway, which is within walking distance of both Cribbs Causeway, with its full range of shopping and leisure facilities, and the upcoming Brabazon development opposite, which will include a new train station, schools and healthcare facilities.
In addition to the extension and new entrance, the Henbury Village Hall renovation is providing accessible toilets, a ground floor meeting room and a new kitchen. The heritage main hall will also be completely redecorated and include new heating and lighting. Work is also being undertaken to improve acoustics in the hall and to install new car park gates and CCTV. The hall is expected to reopen in early 2021.
Peter Gilbert, Chairman of Henbury Village Hall said:
“I’d like to say a big thank you to Barratt Homes for the generous donation. This project is pulling the community together and raising the profile of the hall to an even wider audience by gaining the support and engagement of local individuals and companies.”
“I am confident that this project will secure the future of the hall for many years and provide a huge benefit to local social cohesion and well-being.”
Andrea Pilgrim, sales director for Barratt Bristol said:
“We are proud to make a positive contribution to the communities we live and build in. Henbury Village Hall has long had reach and impact, well beyond the village boundaries and goes back hundreds of years, so we are delighted to support its refurbishment which will no doubt also benefit the new community we are building at Northfields Park.”
Barratt Bristol’s community fund donates £1,000 a month to local causes in the communities where it is building homes. Support earlier this summer included donations to local foodbanks which have experienced unprecedented demand due to lockdown and the Covid pandemic.
To find out more about new homes from Barratt, visit www.barratthomes.co.uk or call 0333 3558 490