Wisbech St Mary Succeeds at Last!
After many years of hard work and many hours of tenacious application-form filling, the village of Wisbech St Mary has finally moved into their brand-new community centre. Funding first commenced in 1995, and since then they have been successful with many other projects at the recreation ground site - additional fields for more football pitches, purpose-built changing facilities, floodlit MUGA, and children's play equipment.
WREN provided funding towards the junior play equipment project in 2009, and were also offered a Small Grant to provide the kitchen equipment in their new community building.
Unfortunately the committee were not successful with their first application to WREN back in 2005, for the WRG Village Hall Challenge. However, their persistence paid off after being awarded the majority of funding for their £850k build from the Big Lottery Fund.
Their original village hall was on the main road, with no parking. It was originally a turkey shed, used for troop accommodation during WWI, and then donated to the village as a meeting place in the 1920's. It was maintained as best they could, however, with poor foundations, and little opportunity to grow, they realised a new site was necessary. With the benefit of a new access road via a housing development to the north of the village, this gave them a fantastic opportunity on unlimited size.
The playing field was originally donated by Alan Hudson, who set up a trust fund on his death to handle all the profits from his continuing farm/orchard business. Significant funding has been provided by the same Trust for the new community centre project. With a main hall, stage, kitchen and bar, the community centre offers a tremendous space for indoor sports and events. The smaller 'village centre' part of the building, with bar, kitchen and meeting rooms, will offer social and recreational opportunities to both Wisbech St Mary and the surrounding parishes of Murrow, Guyhirn, Thorney Toll and Tholomas Drove.
WREN funding of £14,894 went towards the purchase and installation of kitchen equipment.