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No 39: June 2013

Published by Rothay House, Mayfield Road, Eastrea.

V I L L AG E

Eastrea

HALL OPENS ON 17 JULY!

Village News

HRH DUKE OF GLOUCESTER TO OPEN THE EASTREA CENTRE THE EASTREA CENTRE will mark its grand opening on Weds 17 July with a Royal visitor to Eastrea. It has been announced that HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, will be our guest in the village to declare the hall open.

As the Queen’s cousin, the Duke carries out duties on her behalf. He is a Corporate Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, President of the Society of ArchitectArtists, and Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Army Medical Cops and of the Royal Anglian Regiment.

Prince Richard graduated in architecture at Cambridge and is President of the Architecture Club, of which Brian Ford, who chairs the Eastrea Village Hall Trust, has been a member for almost 40 years.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Mr Hugh Duberly CBE, visited the village hall site

when construction work began and again this week. On his first visit, Mr Duberly said that the Royal Family would have much sympathy with our project since it come to fruition entirely through initiatives within Eastrea.

Delays in scheduling the access road mean that the public will now be able to come into the hall for the first time in July.

All village residents can apply for a ticket to attend the opening ceremony to be held on 17 July, and also for a celebration charity lunch at a special rate (only for residents) of just £5. For others, the cost of a ticket for this charity lunch will be £25. There will be distinguished guests too, including the voluntary advisers who have helped us realise our ambition.

There will be celebrations through 20-21 July.

Stalls and competitions will be featured, with a hog roast and a programme of entertainment.

YOUNG RESIDENTS are playing an important role in the future plans for the Eastrea Centre. Our trainee committee members now hold their own meetings as well as joining in discussions with the main committee. All are aged 12-14. In the photograph are (L-R) Amelia-Rose Daniels of Kelful Close, George Nutt and Jonathon Gamble of Mayfield Road, Nathan Cardy and Cameron

Graham, both living in Wype Road, Tegan Green from Mayfield Road and Kayla Neacy of Sycamore Road, Whittlesey.

Also on the sub-committee is Cameron’s sister Charlotte who was unable to attend this first meeting — she had taken part in a sponsored walk the day before this inaugural event and ended up with blisters. “It was all in a good cause, though!” she says.

Contact by telephone: 350888

Email: mail@eastrea.net

No 39: June 2013

TIME TO PROPOSE EVENTS BOOKINGS ARE already being sought from people who wish to use the Centre.

Now is the time to propose your favourite events! Residents have mentioned ideas like computer classes, tea-dances, coffee mornings, lunch gatherings and parties, film nights, health and slimming classes.

If you have a proposal, now is the time to tell us. Enquiries have already received for every day of the week — so tell us now or the times you want may be booked.

STANDING BY FOR THE OPENING BUILDING OUR VILLAGE HALL is now in its final stages. Once it is finished, the Trust’s main purpose will be concluded and the hall will be available for every resident of Eastrea. Others can apply to book it too, of course. The Trust were told that installing the access road would begin by the middle of May, but work actually started a fortnight later and with the knock-on effects on gas, phone cable, electricity and water, time is fast running out. Our plans had given us 15 weeks clear between the building being finished and the opening ceremony.

Now the timing is very tight — but the now discussing wedding receptions. new hall should be finished and ready The Eastrea Centre will have a fully next month. After that, the Eastrea furnished new kitchen with the very Centre will be open for business! latest equipment, and across the hall The bookings there will be are handled by FOR BOOKINGS: Contact Sue Taylor on two changing Mrs Sue Taylor of 01733 01733--204941 (email - hall@eastrea.net) rooms (each Mayfield Road, accessible for so contact her if you wish to use the disabled users) with a bistro near the hall (her details are in the yellow box). entrance and our main hall which can The Trust has been given wise advice hold over 150 people.

by Mr Alan Soer, chief executive of So far the new building has already Arbury Community Centre, Cambridge. been mistaken for the proposed “Do not rush into things,” Alan told us. Tesco supermarket and Sainsbury’s “Allow bookings have been to come in slowly approached so that everyone by people who has time to were asking adapt. It can take for details. two years to get This will be up to speed with one of the a new village most impreshall.” sive village We have now halls in East ANNIE TINKLER, caught on camera in the had proposals for GROUND IS NOW LEVELLED, READY FOR GRASS Anglia, and it centre of Whittlesey in the 1930s, was the a pre-school (which could take weeks will bring with it the additional bonus person who launched Eastrea Village Hall to be approved by OFSTED) and for of our Royal guest in Eastrea coming to see us and to perform the opening Fund in 1945. World War II was still under meetings of societies and local clubs.

Our first requests for party bookings ceremony. Let’s hope the weather way. The first donation was £1 — that have already been agreed, and we are stays sunny and warm! would now be about £30.

Long Haul for our New Hall RAISING FUNDS for the village hall started in the Second World War. Annie Tinkler (above) was the first organiser of the fund, which began with this page from a savings account.

The key date was 11 January 1945 when £1 was paid in to the National Provincial Bank. By 1960 the funds topped £622 (now worth £18,000). On 3 October 1960 most of it was withdrawn, with only 7/7d (seven shillings and Contact by telephone: 350888

seven pence, now equivalent to £10) left in the bank.

Hundreds of pounds were raised in the 1970s, and many of the earlier committee members still living in Eastrea can now see their distant dream coming to fruition.

Most of the £860,000 total budget was raised in the last few years — and there should still be a sound balance in the bank on opening day.

Email: mail@eastrea.net