History of the Hall

The Community Hall

Moving on

For more than 100 years the old Village Hall at the centre of the village by the Post Office was much loved and much used by the Community. By the 1980s and 90s the old building, and particularly its kitchen and toilets, was showing signs of old age and needing re-furbishment. The Hall Management Committee of the time recognised this and attempted to raise funds to address these issues but it became clear that  a new build was necessary.

Coincidentally in the late 1990's another village project was set in motion - the idea of re-furbishing the area round the Boat Hotel, the original Community Garden and the Strathspey Railway Station Square. Out of this project grew the current Community Garden and also the Community Company. The creation of the Community Company enabled the village, with the aid of the then area Enterprise Company to employ a Community Development Officer (in fact 2 on a jobshare basis).  In 2001 they, in turn, took on the task of setting up, administering and evaluating a Participatory Rapid Appraisal Survey - a part of which became known locally as the Bean Count Survey. Helped greatly by much useful advice from CADISPA - ‘Conservation & Development in Sparsely Populated Areas' - a part of Strathclyde University, this survey (and that of CADISPA themselves) allowed the villagers to show what they wanted - a new Hall.

The data collected during the survey also provided statistical back-up for an application to fund a feasibility study (2002) into whether the old Village Hall or its site might be suitable for developing a newer, larger community facility. It rapidly, however, became obvious that this idea was impractical. Attention was therefore turned to the Playing field area at the other end of the village and the idea of a new hall at that location soon agreed.

 

A bright new Beginning

In order to drive this large project forward the Community Hall Company - a company limited by guarantee with charitable status was founded in May 2004 and has run the Community Hall ever since. Over the next 2 years a Business Plan was created, other halls visited for ideas and applications for funding made. 2005 and 2006 were nail biting years for the Community as it waited for the results of these applications (it having already raised £100000 itself). Eventually with all the funders in place (and a hefty sigh of relief) the process of going out to tender for the construction work could start. By mid June 2006 a project team and main Contractor had been appointed. The objective was on the verge of being realised.
15 months later on the 18th August 2007 it was fulfilled with the official opening of the new Boat of Garten Community Hall.

 

The Building itself

The aim was to build a hall that would fulfil the needs of the Community for many years to come. It, therefore, needed to be as flexible in usage terms as possible and, being in the Cairngorms National Park, to be as eco-friendly as was practical. And so it was designed!

In the days and months since the opening these aims have been achieved. The building is practical and flexible, having a large main hall, a lounge, meeting rooms, art gallery/computer room, kitchen and toilets/changing rooms. It is eco- friendly, being well insulated, heated by a ground source/heat pump/buffer tank system that serves the underfloor heating and the hot water. There is also solar panelling as a supplementary heat source for the hot water. The Gents Changing rooms also have modern eco-friendly "dry" urinals.

 

Now if you would like to get a general visual impression of the Community Hall there is a YouTube video available HERE

For those of a technical inclination who would like to know more please CLICK here.

 

 

 

Perhaps the proof of its success lies in the number and range of both village and outside groups that use the Hall on a regular basis.