Pavilion update

light and airy space. The inclusion of a new heating system supplied by Fosters will make the Pavilion exceptionally energy efficient and help keep the cost of heating and hot water down.

A new kitchen will also be installed by Borras Construction. All these are being provided free by these generous companies as part of their commitment to community benefit.

When the refurbished Sports Pavilion is opened in the New Year, we plan to make it the centre for a wide range of sporting and leisure activities for everybody in our community.

Everybody will be aware of the new Melbourn Hub. Colin Limming, a former Parish Clerk and member of the History Group, pointed out that the concept of a village hall was first mooted in the Vestry Meeting (a predecessor of the Parish Council) in 1892 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s jubilee. Melbourn may have missed that milestone.

It seems that only a few months have passed since the old police buildings were razed and the new construction began. The latest information is that the Hub will be handed over before Christmas! There is still a lot of work and organisation to be achieved before we can open but it is planned to have the Hub open for business by mid to late January 2014.

The Hub belongs to the Melbourn community. It will provide everything our village needs, right in the heart of the village. A key aspect of the smooth running of the Hub will be the volunteers, people with the generosity to give a little of their time to help their community. There was a well attended volunteers meeting in the All Saints’ Church Hall on Saturday 26 October. Over 40 people pledged their services and I was amazed at the wealth of talent on offer.

If you feel you can offer a little of your time and talents, Yasmin Croxford (Malcolm.Croxford@ntlworld.com) would be really glad to hear from you.

The Hub and Pavilion will make a tremendous difference to this village. They will have as much impact on village life as did the by-pass. Next year the Parish Council will continue to develop our community. The car park will be refurbished and a pedestrian crossing will be created between the car park and the Hub. The planting of mature trees and extra features such as a memorial wall are also planned for New Road Cemetery.

All these projects would not happen if they were not driven forward by the Parish council. My fellow councillors give time and energy to make Melbourn an even better place to live. There are still one or two vacancies. The formal necessary qualifications are slight. You must be over 18, not bankrupt nor with a criminal conviction and work or live in Melbourn. If you would like to make a contribution to enhancing Melbourn further, please apply to the Parish Clerk, Mr Peter Horley (parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk or 01763 262494).

Those who take a stroll around the New Recreation ground will have inevitably noticed the changes to the Pavilion since the last issue of the magazine. The most apparent is to the front of the building. Gone are the large shutters and drab windows and in their place are two large white glass French doors with wide sidelights. To either side of the French doors, both entrance doors have been replaced with glass doors. At the rear of the building the exit door has been replaced with a disabled access door and the small window to the left has been removed and the area filled with a glass wall, now allowing a lot more light into the building, this has given the Pavilion a bright and airy feel inside. The ground at the rear of the building has been completely paved, and together with a new fence and lockable gate will provide a safe space for young children to play.

Inside the building the new disabled facilities and baby-changing area have been installed. Both the gents’ and ladies’ toilets have also been improved.

Over the coming weeks the Pavilion security measures will be installed and will no doubt further enhance the front of the building. Internally, the building will be redecorated and new flooring will replace the old carpet. All the internal doors will be replaced.

Readers may recall from the last issue of the magazine that a number of companies had offered to install systems in order to improve and economise the running costs of the Pavilion. Amongst them, Fosters Renewable Energies. FRE provide renewable energy system design and installation for the affordable housing, private, commercial and public sectors.

At the beginning of December, Fosters will be installing an *Air-Source heating system in the Pavilion – a cost effective method of heating the building throughout the colder months. It will also be used to heat the hot water system used for the showers, resulting in considerably reduced energy costs. Fosters will be supplying and installing the Air-Source heating system free of charge, they will also maintain it. There will be no cost to the Parish for this system. *The air source heat pump extracts heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside. It can obtain heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15°C.

Also in December, the kitchen will be given a much-needed makeover by Borras Construction. Borras undertake refurbishment and new build projects, social Housing repairs and maintenance working in partnership with local authorities and housing associations, such as South Cambridgeshire District Council. Borras will replace the existing kitchen with a modern set-up by installing new units, an extractor-fan and new flooring. They will also redecorate the kitchen area.

We are currently in discussion with one other company who have offered their help to improve the building. Their contribution could include upgrading the path from the car park to the Pavilion to disabled standards and improving the changing rooms, which would include a disabled shower cubicle.

With the changes in place this community pavilion will offer a ‘safespace’ for young children in the front and rear of the building and will be