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Published by Rothay House, Mayfield Road, Eastrea

Eastrea Village News No 17: June 2008

Eastrea Centre planning in the final stages Plans for the Eastrea Centre are now advancing rapidly towards the final stages of our Phase Two submission to the Big Lottery fund.

The architect’s model (above) shows our hall offering a space for meetings, lectures, concerts and receptions. There are full sports changing-room facilities and extra, smaller rooms for classes, clinics and groups. Near the entrance will be our coffee shop.

Radio, television and the press are following developments closely now that the new executive committee is in place (see p 2).

The bulk of our funding is based on the Phase Two application to the Big Lottery Fund. Our original submission was rapidly approved by assessors, and the committee is confident that we meet all the criteria for a successful outcome.

Remember that the campaign been running since Miss Tinkler started it in 1945. Many of the halls in our district have been lost—through age or neglect— that there is a tremendous demand across our area of Fenland and suggestions

for use have been pouring in. The Eastrea surveys show a demand for activities ranging from classes on sewing, cookery and the internet to soccer, cricket and even tug-of-war!

There are plans to revive the village fete, to get the age-old Mutton Day up and running again, to hold concerts for local young performers and rallies ranging from Romany to old methods of farming.

All the four possible sites for the hall that were examined had good and bad points. In the end, only one proved to be viable—it is the original site (below) that was previously withdrawn. The proposal is now being handled by J D Developments, who were behind the recent re-opening the Nag’s Head public house. These

developers are fully in control of the negotiations, and have given the Eastrea Village Hall Foundation full support. Mr David Lepla, of JD Developments, has now been co-opted onto the executive committee and is in discussions about how to manage the project and to finalise the submissions for the additional funding.

The Eastrea Centre will house a computer centre and a museum, facilities for job-seekers and support for local people wanting to work for themselves.

This is the chance we need for local culture to survive, and for isolated people to get the support they need.

The Storers grants for students (and other residents of Eastrea).

Student grants are again being offered to applicants of any age!

This is what you need for your application: 1. A full c.v. with grades obtained and/or anticipated and giving details of spare-time activities or voluntary work .

2. Copies of exam certificates, etc., so far obtained.

3. Letter of application setting out

the student’s position.

4. A supporting document from the year tutor or head teacher, plus telephone number for the academic referees to make contact.

5. Letter of acceptance from the college, etc., where the student will be studying.

Residents of Eastrea can also apply for cash grants to cover

financial need. In this case a letter of application is all that is needed to start the ball rolling.

All applications are dealt with in strict confidence.

They should be delivered to The Clerk to the Storers at 6 Mayfield Road, Eastrea.

Page 2

Meet your new Committee

Alan Green, Young Families

Chris Turner, Administrator

Jan Ford, Minutes

Pete Sennett, Senior Citizens Jennifer Osler, Teenage officer

Geoff Turner, Business Manager Noreen Smith, Lottery liaison Andy Wright, Teenage officer

The AGM was highly successful and villagers were given detailed progress reports. The Village Hall Foundation committee has traditionally had five elected places, three more being nominated by bodies that no longer exist (like the trustees of the chapel). It was agreed to elect all eight new members — and exactly eight people were nominated by the meeting.

Alan Green now runs his own gardening business and is well known to Eastrea families. He is handling the interests of parents

with young children. Christine Turner is our new Administrator, and will be working on the new business plan with her husband Geoff. Pete Sennett (who now organises the Eastrea lunch club for seniors) is looking after the older villagers’ interests. Geoff Turner is our new business manager, and Tina Arnold is compiling a register of users from outside Eastrea. Archives will be handled by Gill Sennett, while Noreen Smith retains her post liaising with the Big Lottery office. Prof Brian Ford remains in the chair. These people are

Tina Arnold, Head of Facilities

Gill Sennett, Archivist

the trustees of the Foundation.

The committee has now agreed to co-opt Mrs Jan Ford who will handle the minutes, etc., Mr David Lepla who represents the new project team (JD Developments) and two new young members — Jennifer Osler and Andy Wright — who will look after the needs of teenagers.

Regular meetings are taking place, and several working groups have been established.

For example, Tina Arnold and Alan Green will liaise directly with Jennifer Osler, Andy Wright

In the chair, Brian J Ford

David Lepla, developer

and Pete Sennett over the users within the village. Tina will also work with Geoff and Christine Turner on transferring these findings into costed activities for people within Eastrea and those outside the area who will wish to use our hall.

Many of these committee members will call to speak to Eastrea residents at home over the weeks ahead to ensure that our aims match your personal expec“Eastrea could tations. Give us all your views! become a new

centre for

Open spaces and new homes for Eastrea residents?

Fuel prices are rising and we have to face the fact that the era of the car is now facing contraction. We are trying to fight pollution — and also to save money.

The future shape of our village society will demand more freedom to pursue activities in Eastrea, rather than having to drive long distances to find a place where we can exercise, learn and relax. As we are planning the

hall, we are also discussing whether we could have the rest of the farm field for recreational purposes.

The land may be extensive enough to support soccer, cricket and other sporting activities and this would work well with the changing-rooms that are part of the design.

If we are to receive £250,000 cash from the new developers, they would need to build 15 residential units

as part of the deal. Professor Ford is preparing an Eastrea plan in which five of these would be low-cost homes suitable for young residents.

All these new homes will be of a traditional design with local tiles, slate, Collyweston stone roofing, and thatch. In this way we could erect a group of houses that were in sympathy with the ancient traditions of the area and would attract much interest.

events, sport, learning and culture across This would not lead to Fenland and closing the towards gap between Peterborough.”

Eastrea and Coates and it will release large sums of money — in addition to the project management services which JD have also offered to provide.

Discussions are now in progress to move all these ambitious plans forward.