Saturday 17th April
10.00am to 4.00pm
(Public library 9.30am to 1.00pm)
Admission FREE. Refreshments available.

Lyndhurst Community Centre is celebrating the completion of a six-month building project to extend and refurbish the building, including the public library. On Saturday we are inviting everyone to come and have a look at the building and find out what goes on there. Many of the groups who use the Centre will have stalls featuring their activities. Art classes, tai chi, flower arranging, table tennis, New Forest pony breeding, aviation history, mineral and fossil collecting, bridge and sequence dancing are just a few of the things on offer. Community Centre staff will also be on hand to show you round. If you are looking for a venue for your activity or event, do come along and have a chat – we are always looking for something new!

Further to our recent ‘Focus’ newsletter number 7, a few words of clarification.

As mentioned, although the Community Centre building is closed to the public during January the office is still manned and so you will still be able to purchase your five-hour parking clocks from us!

Where the staff are working will depend on what the builders are doing, so please read the notices on the outside of the building and follow instructions on how to find us. If in doubt, please give us a ring on 023 8028 2267.

Fitting of the new library is now almost complete and we think that everyone will be very impressed when it opens at the beginning of February. (See below for more details.)

Elsewhere in the Centre, staff have been busy preparing for the Centre closure during January.

Before that happens, we hope that you will support two events which are taking place in the Centre just after New Year. The New Forest Book Fair is on Saturday 2nd January, open from 10am to 4pm. On Sunday 3rd January you can come and have a nice lie down, followed by a cup of tea and a custard cream… provided you donate a pint of blood! There will be a donor session here at the Centre from 10am to 2pm.

The Centre will be closed to the public from Monday 4th January until Monday 2nd February.

The reason for this is to allow work to take place in the Linden Hall, corridor and entrance hall. At the same time, the porch will be re-tiled in order to match the splendid new library roof. This stage is probably going to be the noisiest and messiest!

The official opening of the refurbished Community Centre will be taking place at the AGM on Friday 26th March. Invitations will be sent out in due course

An open day, when all user groups will have the opportunity to publicise their activities, will be held on Saturday 17th April. Again, further details will be circulated as soon as possible.

The Community Centre will be closed to the public from Monday 4th January and will re-open on Monday 1st February.

Centre staff will be on site throughout the closure and you will be able to contact them by mail, e-mail and telephone (see below).

For safety reasons, members of the public will not be allowed into the building during the closure period.

If you do need to visit the Centre in person for any reason, please telephone to arrange an appointment.

Keep an eye out for notices outside the Centre which will give more information as necessary.

By post: Lyndhurst Community Centre, main car park, off High Street, Lyndhurst, SO43 7NY

So far we haven’t said much in this newsletter about our new heating system, although some of you may have read Rob Dewing’s article about biomass in the What’s On magazine.

Did you know that, prior to this project, the Centre building had FIVE separate heating systems - none of them very efficient!

One of the aims of the project was to reduce our energy usage and we were helped in this by a grant from the NFNPA to carry out an energy study on the building. We have also been lucky enough to obtain funding from the National Park and Leader Funding which has enabled us to go ahead with the installation of a biomass heating system. Basically, this is a giant version of a woodburner, which will cut our consumption of fossil fuels and make use of a locally available and renewable energy source.

You may not have seen them around, but the builders have been busy during the last few weeks digging two big holes at the rear of the Linden Hall. The timing of this part of the project was rather unfortunate, coinciding as it did with the wettest November on record! Despite being up to their knees in water, the builders overcame the difficulties and the work is still on schedule.

One of the two pits is the hopper for the wood chips and the other will accommodate the auger which automatically feeds the woodchips into the boiler.

The system has the back-up of two new gas boilers which take over automatically if the wood burner is out of action for any reason.

Combined with proper insulation throughout the building, the new heating system should keep Centre users warm and considerably reduce our energy bills.

We’re on the last lap… though, as it says on the front page, we are about to enter the noisiest and messiest phase of the project to date. Paul the builder says that he may let the staff in from time to time, but only if they wear yellow jackets and safety hats. We’re thinking of forming a “Village People” tribute band. We’re still looking for a cowboy and a red indian - any volunteers?

We are currently living like nomads, half way through the move into the new office and trying to find both each other and where we have left things (especially the phone). Fortunately, by the end of the day we manage to get everything back together again.

I must say it has been an amazing experience this year, working around our contractors. Occasionally, when the heavy work is being done, it looks like the World’s Strongest Man competition.

The funniest moment this month occurred when I was having a meeting in the library. The rain was at its heaviest (see facing page) and Keith the builder walked in, looking rather stressed, and announced that he was up to the armpits in water and running sand. The library staff had hysterics as he was dripping all over their new carpet. Ray and Claire keep talking about Quatermass.

I must congratulate the team on their hard work, good humour and flexibility. ...And we still haven’t worked out how Ben the electrician finds his way round all the complexities of the wiring.

Things have changed since we sent out the last ‘Focus’ newsletter! The builders have reached the conclusion that the work in the hallway should be postponed until January, when the whole building is closed and no-one will be inconvenienced. There will still be some work being done inside the Gents’ toilet on Monday – which we hope will finally cure the blocked drain problem – but the Ladies say they won’t mind sharing for the day!

May we also take this opportunity to say ‘hello’ to members of the Lyndhurst Chamber of Trade who are now having this electronic version of the ‘Focus’ forwarded to them. If you haven’t come across it before, this is a newsletter that we are producing to keep everyone up to date with the progress of the building project. It goes out to all our user groups and anyone else who would like to receive it. We also produce a paper version with photos that can be picked up from the Centre foyer. We hope that you find it of interest.

John Charlesworth
Centre Manager

The extended Common Room is now nearing completion. The walls have been painted, the suspended ceiling is currently being installed and the flooring is due to be laid during the next week or so. Everyone who has seen the new room is very impressed. We are beginning to get an idea of just how good the whole Centre will look when the refurbishment is completed.

The kitchen is also nearly ready and, even though not yet fully in use, it’s already making life easier for staff and other users. As already mentioned, there will be special ‘guided tours’ of the kitchen for those who are going to be using it. We will also be compiling a user’s manual containing instructions for the cooker and other items of equipment. More details on this in due course.

With the focus of attention now on work inside the building, it is very important that all users take note of the work schedule below. In particular, please note the dates on which there will be no toilet facilities available!

As mentioned in the last issue of the ‘Focus’, we are now at the point where most of the work is happening inside the building. Please ensure that you make a note of the following information and, as always, contact us in the office if you have any questions.

On these three days the main entrance doors and hall will be closed to the public. Access to the building will be via the Pine Hall fire door. Please read the notices and follow the directions.

I’m grief stricken! You may remember that in my last column I told you about the committee choosing the new colour scheme for the Centre. The newly extended Common Room has just been decorated in “ivory”. I liked the old pink and I’m missing it so much that the builders have given me some of the wallpaper as a souvenir. I shall have it framed!

As I write, the suspended ceiling is being installed in the Common Room. We all did a double-take when we glanced in there this morning - the chap doing the work is walking around on stilts. I’m told that you can get them at the local builder’s merchant and they seem like a really good idea for next time the sitting room ceiling needs painting. Not sure that Margaret would agree, though…

I hope that you have all read the work schedule above. The Centre will be remaining open while the work is going on, but you will have to put up with the noise of demolition and also - very importantly - bear in mind that you won’t be able to use the loo!!!

The other thing is that we will all - staff included - be playing ‘Hunt the Office’. The walls of the existing office are due to be demolished soon so we will have to move out… where we will end up is anyone’s guess! Keep an eye out for notices. We hope to see you soon. That’s if you can find us, of course.

Everyone has been admiring the wonderful new roof and porch on the library extension here at the Community Centre… and then they look at the OLD porch and say “oh dear!”

With this money we will refurbish the porch and adjacent wall to match the extension. It will also contribute towards the refurbishment of the entrance hall and reception area.

Community Centre staff will be delighted to accept donations - every £20 collected will colour in one tile or brick on our progress chart. Pop in to the Centre and help to turn our chart RED!

25th Septemer 2009

Important information!

Please be aware that, due to the building work, there will shortly be no disabled toilet facilities in the Community Centre.

Until our new disabled toilet is ready, the nearest alternative facilities are in the public toilets between the museum and the coach park, at the opposite end of the car park. (A radar key is needed to gain access and one can be borrowed from the museum reception during opening hours – a returnable deposit is required).

We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause to you or your group members. If you have any questions please give us a ring at the Centre office (023 8028 2267).

Further information will be circulated when available.

John Charlesworth
Manager

Newsletter 5; late-August, 2009

Answer: probably sooner than you thought, thanks to the fantastic efforts put in by builders Keith and Paul Searle and their team. Tremendous progress has been made over the summer and the kitchen fitters are poised to move in during September.

As before, the kitchen will have serving hatches to both the Pine Hall and the extended Common Room. Inside the kitchen, the new layout should make life a lot easier for users. The kitchen will be fitted to professional catering standards with a new cooker, hot cabinet and microwave oven amongst other items.

We will be arranging induction sessions so that all our users can familiarise themselves with the new equipment and how it works. Keep an eye out for more information on these in due course.

With much of the external work completed, the builders will now be concentrating on the inside of the building. Disruption to users will be kept to a minimum but everyone must take extra care when moving from room to room.

Entrance hall - during the week commencing 7th September the builders will be making alterations to the toilet area in preparation for the construction of the new disabled toilet. The ladies toilets will be closed for a short time but the existing disabled toilet will remain open as an alternative.

Main corridor - there will be a lot of activity, with the contractors carrying materials into the kitchen and Common Room area. There may be dust sheets or other obstructions on the floor. Please be careful! Let us know in the office if you need any assistance.

Can we also remind everyone that the builders’ compounds are strictly out of bounds to the general public. Access to the portakabin is via the main building ONLY.

Anyone passing the Centre will see that the Library is also progressing in leaps and bounds. The new roof is attracting a lot of favourable comments and certainly enhances the external appearance of the building. The builders are currently working on the underfloor heating in the extension.

As you may have heard, I’ve just been away on holiday and, after almost three weeks away, I wasn’t sure that I’d come back to the right place. What a difference! We’re not quite sure where the office is going to be from one day to the next and on the day that they were drilling the hole for the new doorway we had to abandon it completely. Painkiller stocks are getting a bit low!

The debate is now hotting up over the colour scheme. The library people thought they had theirs sussed… and then they saw the colour of the new window frames and had to go back to the drawing board. All my suggestions as to colour are promptly squashed by the ladies, who remember my choice of pink for the Common Room.

Despite initial misgivings on the part of users, our disposable cups are proving very useful while the kitchen is out of action. It’s certainly better than washing up by hand, especially with the limited facilities that we have at present. Never mind, we’ll soon have that fabulous new kitchen to play in!

I hope that you all read the August issue of What’s On, where Rob Dewing explained about the new biomass heating system. Like the new kitchen, it will be a vast improvement on the old ‘system’. Did you realise that we actually had FIVE systems - and not one of them efficient! More on this subject next time.

Newsletter 4: late-July, 2009

Work at the Centre is progressing well. The Common Room/Library extension is currently about a week ahead of schedule and the library extension is an amazing four weeks ahead!

As you will have read on the front page, the library has moved into its temporary home. The portakabin is now in use - see facing page for details. The kitchen is closed (see picture opposite!) and temporary tea and coffee making facilities are in operation - please ask staff for details if your group needs to use these.

Work is about to take place in the main corridor and the Pine Hall. This should not affect users, but please take extra care when moving around the building.

The library opened for business in its temporary home on 10th July. The move went very smoothly and Sue the librarian is delighted to say that most of the books fitted onto the shelves!

Staff are endeavouring to keep things running as normally as possible until the new library is ready. The steps may look a bit daunting to less able users, but please don’t let this put you off as Sue and her colleagues will be there to offer assistance where needed.

Some services will not be available in the temporary library - there will be no DVDs or CDs and no internet access. However, if you have your own laptop you can use the wi-fi in the Community Centre during office hours. Just ask at the office for details.

The good news is that you will still be able to place orders for books and these should take no longer to arrive than usual. Better still, there

will be no charges for orders other than inter-library loans. There will also be a fines amnesty, so now is the time to get that overdue book back!

Finally, just a quick reminder that opening hours are slightly different for the temporary library. A location map and opening times are on display outside the community centre entrance.

The Common Room is not in use for meetings at present due to construction work. Instead, meetings are being held in the portakabin.

Access to the portakabin is via the main building and through the doors at the end of the corridor. Please use the front entrance to the building as usual. DO NOT attempt to reach the portakabin from outside. (Remember that for safety reasons the building site is strictly out of bounds to members of the public.)

One further word of caution - do be careful on the walkway out to the portakabin. We have made it as safe as possible, but the surface is still slightly uneven.

Having got all the safety stuff out of the way, we can report that initial reactions to this temporary meeting room have been favourable. The Bridge Club had the honour of being first to use it and found it very comfortable. The computer class have also moved in and are back online again.

There were huge cheers from the staff last week as the old kitchen was demolished. Margaret was hoping to take a sledgehammer to the cooker but by the time she got here it had already disappeared into the skip. If you’ve never had the dubious pleasure of using it, be grateful! It was surely the only gas oven in the world that was hotter at the bottom than at the top. We are all looking forward to a new commercial cooker with six burners and an oven that actually works!

At the moment the Centre is quiet in terms of meetings and anything but when it comes to the building work. In the office we are attempting to take phone calls against a background of drilling and hammering as walls are demolished. (Peter has already put in a request for a supply of stronger headache pills.) Still, it’s exciting to see such good progress being made and the noisy stage should be finished very soon.

I hope that you have noticed lots of bright yellow posters on the fence outside the Centre, pointing the way to the temporary library. People have been having trouble finding it, apparently. Mind you, no sooner had Claire finished putting the posters up than someone walked into the main building… looking for the library!

Newsletter 3: late-June 2009

So far, so good. The weather has been kind and excellent progress has been made on the building project since the last issue of this newsletter.

We hope that people will now have a clearer idea of the future shape of the building. We will be putting the plans back on display inside the Centre just in case anyone wants another look.

The important news in this issue is that the portakabin has now arrived on site and meetings will shortly be transferring into it from the Common Room. Likewise, preparations are being made prior to the closure of the kitchen. You will find full details below.

The portakabin is currently being installed at the rear of the Linden Hall. Access to it will be via the doors at end of the main corridor. DO NOT attempt to reach it from outside - the builder’s compound is out of bounds to the general public.

The Common Room will be closed from Monday 6th July. Meetings normally held there will transfer into the portakabin. The disabled toilet will be unavailable for one day, probably the 6th July, to permit essential plumbing work. Check with the office if you think this is likely to affect you.

The kitchen will be closed from Monday 13th July. As previously announced, temporary tea and coffee making facilities will be available to groups that would normally use the kitchen. Please contact the office if you have any queries.

Work is being carried out in the Pine Hall and main corridor during the first week in August. This will not affect any meetings or events already booked.

I do hope you like my new logo. (Claire said there was a really good picture of a ruined column that was much more ‘me’, but it didn’t fit. I really can’t think why I have this reputation for breaking things…)

Anyway, I’m sure you’ve noticed that there has been far more construction than destruction at the Centre over the last three or four weeks. The diggers and dumper trucks have been popular with children of all ages. The workmen and the Centre staff are keeping a league table of the favourite comments from passers-by.

1. What are you doing? 2. I didn’t know there was a community centre in Lyndhurst. 3. I hope you checked that hedge for birds. (We won’t repeat the builders’ answer to that one, just in case we have any readers of a nervous disposition.) Finally, there is the classic: “It’ll be nice when it’s finished.”

None of the above came as any surprise, but what we didn’t expect was the number of tourists stopping to take photos. Keith and the rest of the lads are now debating whether to produce their own souvenir calendar.

No doubt our computer students - past, present and future - will be wondering what is going to happen to their training sessions once the library closes.

Fear not! The class will be moving into the portakabin and we hope to be continuing sessions more or less as normal throughout the building work.

As with all other events at the Centre, it is essential that you keep your eyes open for information and, if in doubt, ask the office.

If you would like to join the class, do please get in touch with either the office or with Jo Hadfield (see below). Jo tells us that she would love to hear from anyone willing to join her team of volunteer tutors. All that is required is basic computer knowledge (training can be arranged if required) and a sense of humour.

LYNDHURST LIBRARY

Lyndhurst library will close at 1.00pm on Saturday 4th July and will then relocate to temporary accommodation located at the Dearing Close end of the central car park.

The library will reopen in the mobile library vehicle at 10.00am on Friday 10th July.

Tuesday           10am – 12 noon
                               and 2 – 4pm
Wednesday     2 – 4pm
Friday              10am – 12 noon
Saturday        10am - 12 noon

Please also note: we will be unable to loan DVDs/CDs or provide computer access.

Previous newsletters

Newsletter 2

The Briefing
All users were invited to a briefing meeting on April 20th. About eighty people attended, heard all about the building project and had the opportunity to view the plans and ask questions.

During the next few months we shall be modernising and extending the Community Centre.

By the end of the project we will have a bigger Common Room and Library, improved facilities for the disabled, a new office and reception area and a kitchen that is completely modernised. In addition, the Centre will be properly insulated and have a completely new heating system.

Building contract
Members of the Centre’s executive committee met on 20th April to consider tenders for the building work. Their choice was then examined and approved by the Big Lottery Fund’s technical officers. We are delighted to confirm that the successful tender was submitted by local firm Blaydon Developments Ltd. We are very pleased that a building for local people will be making a contribution to the local economy.

Timetable
As you will have noticed above, there is a revised start date for the project. The delay was due to the Big Lottery Fund’s request for additional information before approving the building contract. The architect, project supervisor and Centre staff all worked as hard as possible in conjunction with our Grants Officer at the BLF to provide this information and minimise the delay.

Please make a note in your diaries or pin this new timetable on your kitchen notice board!

Stage one: hedge to be removed, builders’ compound created and portakabin installed.

Kitchen and Common Room closed by last week of June and Common Room meetings transfer to portakabin.

Library transfers to alternative accommodation (adjacent to the Centre) on or about 6th July.

Whole Centre will close for approximately four weeks in January 2010 while internal work is carried out on wiring and heating.

Please note that these timings are subject to change depending on the progress of the building work!

During the building work we are asking all Centre users to keep the keyword SECURITY in mind.

S is for SAFETY - building sites can be hazardous places, so do be careful. Please read notices carefully as they may be telling you something important.
E is for ENTHUSIASM - something we need to maintain during the coming months!
C is for COMMUNICATION - make sure you stay in touch. Read the Newsletters and if you have a question ask it sooner rather than later.
U is for UNDERSTANDING - this is a two-way thing. Please give the Centre and the building team your co-operation.
R is for RISK ASSESSMENT. Safety again! Look carefully at what you are doing and try to anticipate any problems before they happen.
I is for INITIATIVE - if you see anything that should be brought to the staff’s attention, use your initiative and tell us about it.
T is for TENACITY - stick with it, it will all be worth it in the end!
Y is for YOUR RESPONSIBILITY - to remember all of the above at all times.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised… The village rumour machine is already hard at work over the Centre’s building project and I have been hearing some pretty strange things being said.

Some groups are getting themselves in a real stew, imagining that they need to find themselves a new meeting place for the duration of the building work. This is really sad, because it is completely untrue – and they would have known that, if only they had sent someone to the briefing meeting!

Can I just repeat something that I said at that briefing meeting – DO NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS. Have you ever noticed that the word “assume” can be split up, making an ASS out of U and ME both?

So, don't make assumptions. Make sure that you read and take heed of the information that we are giving you, whether via this newsletter, the monthly What’s On magazine or on notices at the Centre. If you’re still not certain what is going on or what you should do, please, please, please come and see us or pick up the phone and ASK!!! I really don’t have enough hair left to start tearing it out!

Lyndhurst Community Centre building works and library service update