Lingfield & Dormansland Community Centre
High Street Lingfield
Telephone: 01342 833893; fax. 01342 836774
e-mail: lingfieldcentre@tiscali.co.uk
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Summer baskets
Doug Hales is our caretaker and on his own imitative has created the lovely summer baskets that decorate the outside of the Community Centre
A commission for Bill Lazard BA,
NDD
Bill Lazard a local sculptor, one time director of the Community Centre and popular tutor of the Painting and Drawing class has been commissioned by the Community Centre to create a triple relief for the Millennium Garden.
Bill attended Camberwell School of Art where he studied painting, drawing, lithography, sculpture, lettering and general design. Following his studies he worked part time at the Royal College of Art . His teaching experience is wide having taught painting, sculpture, design and technology and the Welsh language. Bill was involved in pioneering work in association with Goldsmiths College and the Royal College of Art developing the philosophy and practice of design and technology in schools. After retiring from full time work Bill focuses his attention on his own creative work and some part time teaching of adults which includes his popular Painting and Drawing class at the Community Centre. Bill exhibits his work in various locations including Malmesbury Abbey Gardens, Ysolg y Pedol and Lingfield
The triple relief depicting community in the form of
an 'eye', 'lip' and 'ear' will be to the memory of the late Sir Thomas
Hetherington KCB, CBE, QC. Tony, as he preferred to be known, was one time Director
of Public Prosecutions (1977-87) and Head of the Crown Prosecution
Service, a director of this Community Centre and gave considerable
help in its establishment in 1998 and in its subsequent operation. Tony
was a
local resident and will be remembered with great affection.
The Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre was held in the Allison Room on Wednesday the 21st July. The statement of accounts for the past year were presented, the Chairman, Treasurer and Company Secretary were elected being Chris d'Avray, Tim Pool and Peter Francis respectively. Chris d'Avray gave his annual report, which is reproduced below.
9th Annual Report 2007
The Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre, established as a company (no.3620572) and a registered charity (no.1076628) in 1998, is managed by seven volunteer directors and an invaluable minute secretary and operated by 4 part time staff; Hilary Wilkins our office manager, Betty Armitage, bookkeeper, Doug Hales, caretaker and Liz Clarke who keeps the place clean. From time to time we employ specialist cleaning services as required. Doug Hales is responsible for the hanging baskets round the Centre which, again, look wonderful this year. The IT suite is also manned by volunteers and I would like to thank Trevor Wickham and Robin Williams (who oversees the IT suite) for their continued support.
For information, the Community Centre is located in a one time state school built in 1851 and presently owned by the Lingfield Parish Council. It was purchased from Adult Education for £150,000, half being donated by Lingfield Parish Council, and the balance from Tandridge District and Surrey County Councils. It was initially refurbished by money from the Rural Development Commission, the Parish Council and local donations, totaling £43,000 and a lottery award of £150,424. It’s well appointed facilities comprise the Llewelyn Palmer Hall, the Orpen Lounge and four meeting rooms, the Allison Room, Plaxton Room, East Room and IT Suite, not forgetting the attractive Millennium Garden. The Parish Council, Volunteers Centre and Citizens Advice Bureau all use our facilities. Sadly we lost the charity ‘Face to Face’ last year who amalgamated with its parent organization. They used to rent the East Room.
The past year of 2006 has been successful both in terms of the Centre’s use and the continued development of its fabric and facilities. A total of 1,838 sessions were held, representing 4,150 hours of use, a 10% increase on the previous year. The most popular room was the Llewelyn Palmer Hall holding 679 sessions taking up 1,552 hours. Activities are varied and seek to fulfil the aims of the Centre to promote and provide classes, groups, private functions, parish and public meetings and community events for the education, recreation and leisure-time activity of the inhabitants of Lingfield, Dormansland and surrounding areas. An average of 35 events take place each week and the list is impressive; 13 for young people, 6 art classes and various exhibitions including the annual Lingfield Art Exhibition 2006 which attracted about 800 visitors, 4 dance classes, 6 exercise classes, a computer suite, National Blood Service, a polling station and a variety of individual groups. Coffee and chat is popular every Saturday morning when local folk meet. Community events sponsored by the Centre are proving popular and the hall was full for Quiz Nights, Murder Mysteries, Race Night and two Oxford Touring Theatre Company’ productions, many of which were accompanied with supper and a licensed cash bar.
Over the past year a considerable effort has been made to further improve the facilities. Some 21 items of work are in hand or being considered valued at nearly £42,000. Significantly 18 windows have been replaced with help from our landlords the Parish Council, new carpets have been laid, a public address and loop system installed in the Llewelyn Palmer Hall and Allison Room, and the toilet for the disabled refurbished, power assisted front door and rear emergency door and refurbish the Llewelyn Palmer Hall store. Plans to re-lay the Hall floor with oak boards are being pursued.
A major part of our work is funded by various grant making organisations and our applications to date have procured £25,663.50. We acknowledge with sincere thanks the valuable financial help from Lingfield Parish Council, Lingfield Marathon Committee, Tandridge District Council, Surrey County Council, Biffa, Gatwick Airport Community Trust, the National Lottery ‘Awards for All’ and the Surrey Community Buildings Grants scheme.
To recognize the essential ‘community function’ of the Centre we plan to commission Bill Lazard to make and erect in the Millennium Garden a triple relief depicting community by way of an ‘ear’, ‘eye’ and ‘lip’. Bill, a previous director of the Centre, is a well known local artist and a member of the Surrey Sculptor Society. He has had commissions from all over the UK including one from Roderick Morgan, leader of the Welsh Assembly. I understand he will be able to start the commission shortly thanks to the very kind donation of £1307 from the memorial collection for Sir Thomas Hetherington, who was our guiding light when we first embarked on saving the Community Centre, and a fellow director until his recent illness prohibited him working with us. As we enter our tenth year of running the Centre, Tony (as Sir Thomas preferred to be known) will be missed.
The recent ‘Lingfield Eco Awareness Day’ sponsored by the Community Centre and Parish Council, was an unqualified success, given that the 40 or so exhibitors who took part have all asked to be invited to any subsequent events. We were very heartened by the involvement of local schools and the simple message ‘we can all make a difference’ was further underlined by our MP Mr. Peter Ainsworth and Sarah Goad, the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey. The ‘profits’ from this event, some £1013 are being donated to the Community Centre to be used to help the Centre reduce its’ carbon footprint. Directors are looking at ways to best utilize this donation.
The Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre never close its doors and the facilities are available for hire at any time of the day and any time of the year. The Centre office is open from 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday and our office manager will be pleased to welcome visitors. I am really pleased to see Hilary taking up the chains of office once more after what has been a harrowing year to date for her, what with the passing of her husband in January and her recent operation. Her gentle but firm hand at the tiller is very much appreciated by everyone who uses the Centre.
The programme for each week is posted on our notice boards and published in our tri-annual term brochure. We have recently constructed a website <lingfieldcentre.org> where community events, programmes, classes, facilities, history and other useful links are available.
Finally my thanks to my co-directors, especially thanks to Ian who has responsibility for the building and fabric, to Clare for her fund raising, Tim for his financial services and advice and Peter as Company Secretary, for his calming influence on the chair. It is rare to be part of a team where each and every person pulls their weight and I am fortunate in having such industrious colleagues.