Harnham Hub
HARNHAM PARISH HALL TRANSFORMATION PROJECT
Harnham Parish announces Operational Pause. Harnham Parish is very grateful to all our generous supporters who have enabled us to make such wonderful improvements to the Parish Hall over the last few years. All our users can now enjoy our brilliant catering-grade kitchen, environmentally friendly and very effective underfloor heating system, asbestos-free, insulated ceiling and LED lighting in the Main Hall, a well-lit car park, and newly covered hall roof.
Due to greatly increased building costs, high energy costs and other rising costs over the past few years, the Parochial Church Council has taken the decision to pause the Transformation Project and refocus, for an interim period of time, on a programme to smarten up the exterior of the Hall and the site as a whole, and to maximise the use of the existing building by and for the Harnham community. All our supporters are encouraged to help us promote the building to potential hirers, particularly for weekend parties and events.
The Parochial Church Council remains committed to our longer-term vision to transform the building into Harnham Hub, as a centre of activity and outreach for the whole community of Harnham.
Harnham Parish, in collaboration with Harnham Community Network, is transforming our 60-year-old Parish Hall on Lower Street into a centre of activity and outreach for the whole community of Harnham.
Harnham Hub, with its adjacent field and car park, will become somewhere everyone is welcome, that is fully accessible to all, flexible for multiple uses, warm and comfortable to be in, environmentally friendly, and equipped for the 21st Century.
Harnham Hub will be a place where….
– where people living alone or in need of support can find companionship, help and advice, and a chance to chat
– where local residents can gather for important occasions like birthdays, weddings, baptisms and funeral wakes, supported by high standard facilities;
– where local public bodies can meet with residents;
– where community groups for all ages and abilities can find a safe and comfortable home;
This is how the Hub may look.
We have already created a new catering grade kitchen, equipped for all kinds of usage. We have installed an underfloor heating system powered by renewable energy from two air source heat pumps. The Meeting Room has had a makeover. The Main Hall has a new, fully insulated barrel ceiling to replace the asbestos boarding and suspended ceiling that was the worse for wear. LED lights now light the car park and the Main Hall, economically yet effectively. All these improvements have been achieved through donations from local residents and businesses, local authorities and historic funds held for the Parish.
At some point we will continue raising the funds necessary to build the extension we need and install 18 solar panels for electricity generation. The extension will give the building a bright new welcoming entrance, and ensure that it will be fully accessible to all throughout. The new, enlarged parish office will provide a better space both for the parish administration and a base for our partners, the Harnham Community Network, as well as accommodating small meetings. There will be new toilets, and a small interview room. The kitchen and toilets will be directly accessible to all area of the building,
From the Hub, the Parish and the Network will be able to initiate new activities in response to local need. Already, the Network is running a Coffee and Chat session every Saturday and Wednesday mornings, and every Saturday during the summer months, Harnham Harvest Table will be back in the field, enabling local gardeners to share their surplus fruit and veg with their neighbours on a free exchange basis.
