11/06/2026
On Tuesday 19th May we invited members, guests, and the community, to join us at the Community Centre to enjoy drinks and refreshment to celebrate our latest major achievement in our long history, and to formally thank our key funding contributors which made this improvement work possible.
Like many large projects, it all started with the simple decision……… to redecorate this main function room and the entrance hallway. A coat of paint and a few new pictures to freshen things up.
But first we needed to replace the old false ceiling, and the main entrance door was becoming a bit time served and rickety. This would all need to be done before redecoration could start.
Never-the-less, after much debate and delay, both the new ceiling was installed and the new main entrance door fitted, and finally we progressed to engage the professional services of Nadine to complete the long awaited redecoration, before finishing with the laying of the new carpeting.
The cost of all this was of course mounting, and so we were delighted and very grateful when Shalfleet Parish Council approved our application for a grant to help meet those costs (excluding the ceiling installation) with a grant award of £4000.
We recognise that this is a very significant amount of money from a rural Parish Council with limited resources, and probably more than normally offered for such applications, and for this we wish to formally register our gratitude. It is however, I hope you will agree, very gratifying to be able to now reveal how that money has been invested in improvement of the facilities of this local community asset.
But as we all know, no sooner than you get on top of one task, then the next problem becomes apparent - even urgent!
We had already been confronted with several roof leaks letting in the rain….. which we had duly repaired each time. But it became clear that with more leaks developing more regularly, this was a growing and serious problem which threatened not only to destroy all the new decoration and ceiling work but would eventually cause damage to the building fabric itself!
It became clear that the sensible and right decision was that it was time think about completely renewing the roof.
But it was equally obvious that this would be a very expensive project, and just at a time when we had already committed nearly £15k of our reserves to our redecoration work.
We surely needed help to meet this challenge!
We learned that the National Lottery made so called ‘small’ grants of up to £20k available for community projects under their Community Fund scheme. So we costed the work, set out our case and without high expectations submitted our application. Even a part funding offer would help.
Imagine our delight then, when on the 17th of July 25 we received confirmation that our grant application had been awarded in full to the amount of £16800.
The rest as they say is history, as the following day we contacted Sprake Developments, to notify of our desire to initiate the work.
By 30th Sept 2025 the job was fully completed and bill paid
Just 154 days from application to the National Lottery …….
….to job completed and fully paid for.
The National Lottery Community Fund, have demonstrated not only an understanding of the challenges facing low population rural communities, but also that support can be a valuable investment given the benefits, and maybe the essential role that Community Centre’s are able to provide. And the belief in us that given that support, we can and will continue to provide those benefits.
But of course, while this fantastic amenity provides for a wonderful opportunity, we must remember that it is nothing without its members which really are our lifeblood. Without members we would not function and probably cease to exist. So, if you are part of our community, please support us by becoming a member for just £10 a year.
So, while celebrating our completion of this major work to secure the future of the Newbridge Community Centre, we are publicly acknowledging and recognising the very significant financial support provided by the National Lottery Community Fund, and Shalfleet Parish Council that have made this possible
