Cubs, scouts, beavers, and other users of Tideswell Community Hall will be warm and comfortable for their meetings and classes in a new community hall after a donation from the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund.
The much-needed grant of £24,120 has paid for a new air source heat pump and underfloor heating at the Derbyshire venue.
Deborah Willoughby, chair of the Tideswell & District Voluntary Youth Club management committee, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund for their generous donation which has paid for our underfloor heating, hot water system and air source heat pump.
“It has transformed the hall and will make it much warmer for those groups using the facility.”
“With an energy efficient heating system, and a fully-equipped kitchen, it’s the perfect venue for events and meetings. We want everybody to feel they can come and use the hall”.
Following a fire which destroyed the premises seven years ago, the committee decided to re-build – literally – from the ground up. Hence the decision to install a modern and environmentally friendly heating system in the new building, looking to the future.
The building is currently used one night a week by the 1st Tideswell Scout Group (beavers, cubs and scouts) with yoga and tai chi classes becoming established. It is available to groups and individuals to hire for classes, events and social gatherings. There is also a separate upstairs room which can be hired as a meeting room or office space.
Katharine Longden, treasurer, said: “We applied for help to fund the air source heat pump because we didn’t want to put gas into the building and we wanted a reliable, cost-effective and sustainable heat source, but we couldn’t have achieved it without the help from Tarmac.
Graham Cooper, lime director at for Tarmac’s nearby Tunstead Quarry, said: “We’re delighted to be able to help Tideswell & District Voluntary Youth Club through the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund. The hall lies at the heart of the village and is vital to community life just as we are to the wider area.
“I am sure that, as word spreads about the new facility, more and more people will want to make use of it and the new heating system will ensure users are warm and comfortable. It is also refreshing to see the committee’s desire to use energy-efficient systems to ensure the hall is eco-friendly and sustainable for many years to come.”