STUDENTS from three colleges have given Gainford Village Hall a much-needed makeover.
The redecoration of the main hall, as part of a scheme to give young people hands on experience working alongside qualified professions, comes on the back of almost £100,000 investment in the venue during the past five years to give it a new lease on life.
The redecoration of the hall forms part of a Teesdale Action Partnership project with Trades4Care to provide experience for college students at a dozen community venues across the dale.
Charlie Wright, of Trades4Care said: “On this project we have had Matthew and Thomas, from Bishop Auckland College; we’ve had Ben from New Durham College and we have Dominic from Darlington College whose mam contacted us because she reads about all our work in the Teesdale Mercury. He has had a great week.
“We’ve had six students on this one so fish and chips is going to cost us a lot today.”
Unique to this project was a request from County Durham Resilience to take on a student who had completed level one at Bishop Auckland College but fell off the course due to ill-health.
Mr Wright said: “I am hoping I can raise her confidence to the point that she will go back into college to do her level two.”
Cllr George Richardson, whose neighbourhood budget had helped pay for the redecoration, described the students’ work as brilliant.
Of the project he added: “You couldn’t get any better. It is what we need to do in the area.”
Gainford Village Hall dates back to the 18th century and was handed over to the village 1956.
Hall committee member Peter Wilson said more than £100,000 had been spent on improvements to the facility during the past five years, including installing new windows throughout at a cost of about £40,000.
The supper room was given a makeover and a drop down screen for a projector was installed.
The kitchen was refitted at the cost of about £20,000 and new bathrooms and disabled access was also introduced. Most recently new double doors were installed at the entrance.
Mr Wilson said the next major project at the hall would be to add insulation and render the external walls.
