A final push on the roof

After eighteen months of fundraising, grant applications and more than a few rainy Saturdays spent shaking collection buckets, the village hall roof repair has entered its final phase. Contractors began stripping the last stretch of the south slope on Monday morning, and the scaffolding that now wraps the western end of the building will be with us for several weeks yet.

For anyone who has watched the ceiling stains spread above the stage, this is very welcome news. The old clay tiles on that side had reached the end of their working life, and the cast-iron guttering had rusted through in three places, sending water straight down the wall instead of into the downpipes. The main room remains fully open and all regular bookings are continuing as normal.

What the last phase actually involves

The work now under way is the most detailed part of the whole project, which is why it has been left until last. It covers the south-facing slope above the main hall and the section over the committee room, and includes:

• Stripping the remaining clay tiles and inspecting the battens beneath, replacing any that have softened
• Laying a new breathable membrane across the full slope, taped and lapped correctly at the valleys
• Re-hanging the salvaged tiles that are still sound, and fitting matching reclaimed tiles where they have cracked
• Renewing the guttering, brackets and downpipes along the western elevation
• Replacing two rotten fascia boards and repointing the chimney stack while the scaffold is in place
• Checking and clearing the two rear gullies, which have been quietly silting up for years

The hall sits within a conservation area, so the tiles, profile and colour of the guttering all had to be agreed with the conservation officer before a single slate was lifted. A bat survey was also carried out last spring, as is required for any roof work of this kind. The results came back clear, but the contractors are working to a strict method statement regardless, and the roofer has promised to stop immediately and call the ecologist if anything unexpected turns up under a tile.

Bookings continue in the main room

The most common question at the moment is whether the hall is still usable. It is. The main room, the kitchen and the toilets are all unaffected, and the following are running exactly as advertised:

• Monday: Pilates, 6.30pm to 7.30pm
• Tuesday: Toddler group, 9.30am to 11.30am
• Wednesday: Art club, 1pm to 4pm; badminton, 7pm to 9pm
• Thursday: Short mat bowls, 2pm to 4pm; parish council meeting on the third Thursday
• Friday and Saturday: Private hires, birthdays and the monthly film night

The stage end has been tidied and the sound system tested, so the autumn concert will go ahead on the date already printed on the tickets. If you are hiring the hall in the next few weeks, please allow an extra ten minutes to get in, as the side door is the only route while the scaffolding is up.

Access, parking and getting about

Practical matters first, because they will affect everyone using the lane rather than just hall users. Three parking bays nearest the church gate are closed for the duration, and the narrow footpath along the western wall is fenced off. Pedestrians are asked to use the route past the war memorial, which is signed and lit once the evenings draw in.

Contractors are on site from 8am to 4.30pm on weekdays only, with no weekend working unless the weather forces a catch-up day. A skip sits in the corner of the car park and is collected every Friday. Please keep children away from the scaffold base, however tempting the ladders look, and report any loose fencing to the booking secretary rather than trying to move it yourself.

Noise, dust and the odd surprise

Roofing is a noisy business, and we will not pretend otherwise. Expect hammering, the occasional shout between the scaffold and the ground, and fine grit finding its way onto windowsills. The contractors have been asked to keep radio volume down during the toddler group, and they have been good about it so far.

One plea from the committee: if you live within a few doors of the hall and are going to be out, please leave a contact number with a neighbour. There have been two occasions already when a delivery or a query needed answering and nobody was about.

What happens next

Once the tiles and guttering are complete, the scaffold comes down, the ground is swept and the grass along the western edge is reseeded. We hope that will be finished before the end of next month, weather permitting. The roof fund still has a modest surplus, which the committee has earmarked for insulation in the loft space, a job that will make the hall noticeably warmer in winter and cheaper to run.

A thank-you tea is planned for the volunteers, donors and local businesses who made this possible, and everyone in the village will be welcome. In the meantime, do keep using the hall. A building that is full of people is the best proof that all this work was worth doing.