Fantastic news for the Birks, Awards for All funded by the Big Lottery Fund have awarded the project £9,700. The money is to be used as part of the ongoing improvements to the building.
Some of the grant will provide new chairs and tables in the lounge to replace the current ones which have given good service but were bought second hand from the closing Matlock Youth Hostel some years ago
Additional fire doors will be fitted in the building between the kitchen/lobby and lounge/staff bedroom.
New chopping boards will be purchased for the kitchen.
The bulk of the money will go towards the installation of an improved water supply. The present system has worked fine for many years as, relying on a gravity feed from the beck on Harter Fell. Unfortunately, the pipe now has numerous repairs and lying on the ground has repeatedly frozen up during the harsh winters we have experienced recently. The new pipe will be buried and brought underground into the house in the Drying room, technical specification are still be discussed!
The funding received from Awards for All shows their faith and support in the project and recognises the importance of the Birks to the Grove school and community. Our ambition is that the building will be used all year round, by as many people as possible.
The grant application was submitted by volunteer Dorothy Jones who got fed up with winter time working parties and no running water!
SM
The spring Ball was once again a fabulous evening of wining, dining and entertainment - initial (unconfirmed) reports have mentioned a fundraising figure of around £3,000! Many thanks to all who supported the event and an even bigger thanks to all involved behind the scenes.
Newsletter - January 2012
