June 5th saw our official re-opening of the hut, coupled with our AGM and opportunites to showcase what our group does to a range of VIPs from the local community.

We were pleased that our MP David Rutley, and our Mayor were both able to cut the ribbon and launch our hall.    Each section displayed an activity from their section, and tea/cakes were enjoyed.   Archery was provided on the back lawn.

The hall was full of visitors, and we were pleased to conduct our AGM business in record time and fill some key roles – we still have many positions open though!

A range of reports were provided for the AGM, and a copy of the booklet can be downloaded here.  AGM Booklet 2016

The hut is really starting to take shape!   Children are back inside making use of the space again, and our volunteers are working hard to decorate.
This week’s activities include painting, more painting and fitting the kitchen.

Thank you to Broken Cross Paints for discounted paint materials!
Check out their website here!

One of our volunteers works for GE, and GE Lighting very kindly agreed to help our refurbishment by donating new state of the art LED strip lights for use in the main hall and kitchen area.    LED lights again help to reduce our energy costs and carbon footprint; making our hut one of the most eco-friendly youth venues in Macclesfield.    Thank you to GE for your contribution!

(Picture of lighting to follow)

While we were waiting to sort out the steel uprights, our builders were busy on the far side of the building with fitting insulation to the walls and roof.     Roof bolts were tightened, and 4″ thick celotex insulation fitted to make the building more eco-friendly.
By the end of the 3rd week, the walls were all in place and plastering applied; ready for the big clean up.    While our young people were raising funds at Tesco with a bag pack, parents worked hard cleaning down the floor, tables and chairs ready for meetings to start using the hut again once its handed back to us.

It was quite a surprise to us when we started on the refurbishment to find that there was a lot of water damage under the floor.    This appears to have built up over a number of years having drained off the front driveway and left stood with nowhere else to go.   As well as a rotting floor, this had also corroded the steel upright roof supports.

Within the space of a week, we had the steels assessed by a structural engineer, drawings made for steel brackets, brackets manufactured and the final brackets fitted.     It set the build back by a week, but we know that the building is structurally sound for a good time to come!

After a lot of discussion and planning, we are embarking on the first phase of an ambitious plan to upgrade the hall on Station Street, which we hope will be completed by December 2015.

At the end of the first phase we will have:

• Insulation – a much warmer hut and lower gas bills
• Covering of all the iron upright beams – no need for foam strips to stop bumped heads
• Increased storage and organisation of storage; making much better use of the leaders room
• A new large kitchen with improved storage space and facilities
• Replacement ceiling panels with new tent drying hooks
• Finished before Christmas