Lots of Interest in Future of Methodist Church

Residents showed lots of interest in the future of the Methodist Church & Hall with 75 attending our recent consultation event. The next step is to participate in an online survey established by the Parish Council and St Mary’s Church to build on the event. The deadline for completing the survey is 10 pm on Sunday 30th June.

The event produced a stunning array of ideas, some pictorial, others in words – please enjoy reviewing them below before taking part in the survey. At this stage, we are primarily after ideas for using the facilities and achieving a consensus on direction. A later stage will involve harder discussions about funding.

First the pictures:

Then the words

As a small business I have some customers who have nowhere to go to meet other people and live alone. They are not really getting out so a coffee shop would be a place that they could pop to. ????

Special events for different people/ages.

Overnight sanctuary facility.

A luncheon club for elderly people once a week / month.

A zero waste shop is a good idea. How about repair and recycle workshops being in the space?

Is there any mileage in making links with the university for talks / activities based on research areas – e.g. health / exercise etc?

Café, Drop in Centre – Teenagers / Elderly, Zero Waste shop, Art Exhibitions, Bookable for events.

Please take the parking into account.

Drop in / walk in centre.

Youth work experience.

I love the ideas of café, zero waste shop, community rental space. Also, what about Community learning space e.g. art, ICT; farmers’ market; repair café; book fairs.

Local homemade produce sales.

Computer skills for elderly people.

More volunteers are needed.

Community café.

I like the ideas of village café with outside seating; lending library; more space for village groups to meet. How about our local history archive?

Meeting place.

It would be lovely to be able to rent a corner, a table as a small business owner here in the village to sell products or even hold workshops in different crafts to the benefit of the community.

Wi-fi.

Food, drinks, special/different food events.

Exhibitions / displays by locals (for sale?)

Kitchen facility.

Extend café to use outside space as a peaceful area.

Consideration of parking.

Lending library.

Films.

Book exchange; craft workshops.

Community Orchard or gardens.

Pathway – soft and meandering.

Space for Parish Council to run “clinics” and meet people.

Art gallery.

History archive.

I love the idea of a community orchard/community wildlife garden.

Very supportive of retaining the site for the community. I am sure a wide range of activities on a shared basis between interested groups is the way forward. Coffee shop, library, homework club, youth work, social activities for older residents etc – all good valuable activities.

Munchkins style facility – café, toy & play area, tables and chairs.

Incorporating a fair-trade, plastic free refillable shop.

Availability to hire for parties, functions etc.

Could other groups continue to use it? Monday’s baby and toddler group, knit and chat, family centres for weigh and play etc?

Link to CBC / organisations.

Events and speeches.

Foodbank to partner with CAP.

Computer hub with support for online form filling and computer familiarisation esp. for older people.

Men’s shed!

Centre for health and well-being (social isolation).

To use the church and hall for young and old – the hall is used for all types of community use; a coffee shop and library facilities and reading room in the church.

Dance bar for ballet.

Chapel – coffee shop / art gallery / meeting space / farm shop; Back hall – for clubs, youth drop in or sensory room

Café and extras (crafts, sales of cards, gifts etc).

Keep hall available for community group use as it is currently.

Keep grass area – add seats; use as a café outside area; café in hall; multi community use as a hub would be great. I am sure many in the community would help to look after it.

Age UK drop in centre for consultation / advisory sessions.

The chapel building is cold. My suggestion is to install small work offices into the building (perhaps with a mezzanine floor) which could be rented out cheaply to villagers who are trying to start a small business (as many are from the website / bulletin). This would be an income generator. Chapel business centre!

Chapel – café and farm / allotment shop; hall – youth centre and bookable for events / clubs.

And Some Further Comments Were Also Noted

As well as the loans that the Church and Parish Council could access, ask the village if they would be willing to Crowd Fund.

Concerns over the maintenance costs, cannot separate the feasibility of financing and the future uses. Needs to cover loan payback as well as running costs.

Concern was raised over certain clubs who use the Methodist Hall currently, if the space goes.

A resident asked if there was interest in the property at present, to which the Methodists in the room affirmed that there is interest in it.

Methodists also confirmed that the Home Office would not give permission for the graves to be moved for at least the next 50 years. Even the remembrance garden at the front would require complex forms & permissions for any move to take place of the ashes of the deceased.

Methodists stated that they would like it to continue to be used for the community and many of them would be happy to still remain involved in volunteering at the site.

Lots of older people also happy to volunteer to stop them feeling lonely.

There are good examples of community-led cafes at Tollesbury (?) and Highwoods (Oak Tree Café).

A resident asked if the cost of a parish council loan would be added to the council tax? Yes, it would, however the exact increase would need to be put to residents for agreement before that could happen.

Would the Methodists consider leasing it instead of selling it? No, as they are amalgamating three congregations in order to build a new Church and therefore need the best price possible.

Where would the loans come from? The Church of England’s loan would come from the Pioneer Fund, not from general money raised by the PCC. The Parish Council’s loan would come from a Public Works Loan which has very reasonable interest rates for Local Authorities. If the two organisations worked together obviously it would halve the cost. An early idea might be for them to have a building each with interaction between the two.

Parking around the Methodist Church & Hall – please discuss!! Whatever it becomes, please consider the parking implications around it. There are also no paths (along Chapel Lane?) and no lighting around there at present.