Roof-us lends a hand

Roof-us, the Sampford Courtenay Village Hall mascot, was on hand recently, to help builders from Mark Hedges Construction with the first phase of work to save the village hall.

Over £36,000 has now been raised for the roof appeal enabling work to start on replacing the Victorian windows which were in a very dangerous state.

This impressive sum has been raised through the hard work of a dedicated group of volunteers, who have organised a wide range of fundraising events during Covid restrictions, as well as the generous support of individual local sponsors and parishioners.

The hall, formerly the village school, has been the centre of the community in Sampford Courtenay for many generations and was real concern that without urgent attention it could be lost for the future.

The appeal needs to raise a total of £150,000 for the complete works, which includes replacement of the roof and insulation. There is still a long way to go, but as well as completing applications to major charities and grant organisations, the fundraising group has been organising a wide variety of activities and events during spring and summer.

In September the hall will host ‘Roof-Aid’ to ‘Raise the roof for Roof-us’ - a live music and entertainment event which is a first for Sampford Courtenay.

Further information about ‘Roof Aid’ is available at www.sampfordcourtenay-pc.gov.uk where you will also find details on other ways to support the appeal.