Barningham villagers rally to safeguard their community hub

GRANTS and donations will help keep water out of a listed village building.
Barningham Village Hall will have its guttering repaired this month thanks to money from TAP (Teesdale Action Partnership), the County Durham Community Foundation and the village show committee.
Reserves from the parish will make up the rest of the costs.Parish treasurer Phil Hunt revealed how moisture had gradually seeped into the grade II-listed hall through cracks in its lead roof lining.
“We have a modern extension with a flat felt roof which has come to the end of its life and getting that re-covered took up most of our reserves,” he said.
“There was a leak over the entrance where the felt met the lead valley gutters – it’s been leaking badly for quite some time.
“If we do not sort it in the coming year we are likely to have far more expensive repairs.”
A temporary fix in 2014 couldn’t avert a long term damp infiltration and with county council grants withdrawn the village hall committee faced an uphill struggle. But £1,000 from TAP, £2,000 from County Durham Community Foundation, £1,000 from Barningham Show Committee and £250 from the Village Halls Consortium has boosted the repair coffers.
Mr Hunt was confident repairs by villager Stephen Longstaff would secure the 150-year-old building for decades to come.
“We have to have it done by January or we’ll be in trouble with one of our guarantors – but we are confident,” he added. “It’s the only community space we have in the village apart from the church which is not really appropriate for some of our events.”
Owned by the Milbank family, the hall has given to the village in 1948. Ann Orton, secretary on the hall committee, said it played an important role in village life.
“It’s the heart of the village – we have pilates, lots of fantastic shows and things happening every week,” she added. “It hosts meeting for the Forestry Commission and serves as a polling station – we would miss it if it wasn’t there.”