Members of Herringthorpe United Reformed Church have had their prayers answered after three charitable trusts stepped in to help them raise the roof of a well-used community building.
The Clynes Hall is home to a number of groups throughout the week including Rainbows, Youth Club, Sunday School, a dance and theatre company, as well as being used throughout the week for church-led activities including its Ducklings nursery which was launched in 2012. Despite being used throughout the week, the popular centre began developing a series of problems, resulting in water leaking into the building.
Following numerous attempts to prevent water from encroaching into the building through a series of temporary repairs, Reverend Matt Stone recognised the importance of finding a permanent solution. He quickly realised that the condition of the roof was beyond practical repair and with water once again leaking into the popular community hub, he set himself the challenge of raising the vital funds needed to replace the Clynes Hall roof.
His prayers were answered when three charitable organisations stepped in and the support they provided has helped more than 80% of the total repair bills to be met after Herringthorpe United Reformed Church secured three grants.
The grants were awarded by the Veolia Landfill Trust, South Yorkshire Community Foundation and the Congregational and General Charitable Trust who recognised the important role the Clynes Hall and broader church play in local community life. The grant awards have enabled a brand-new roof to be installed, whilst additional repairs to the water-damaged building have been completed, including the upgrading storage facilities as well as adding fencing and repairing the Clynes Hall’s original parquet flooring.
Reverend Matt Stone, Minister at Herringthorpe United Reformed Church said: “The Clynes Hall has played an important role in local community life for more than 60 years and it used almost every day and evening of the week. It acts as a home to a wide range of children’s and youth activities, as well as supporting the work of the church. The needs of the church have grown and evolved since the Clynes Hall was first built and we recognised that the leaking roof was causing an enormous amount of damage to the fabric of the building.
The generous grants we’ve received from the Veolia Landfill Trust, South Yorkshire Community Foundation and the Congregational and General Charitable Trust has enabled us to make the necessary repairs to prevent water from further damaging the building, as well as enabling us to improve the functionality of the building. Funds provided by Veolia, for example, enabled us to upgrade storage outside the Clynes Hall, which will be invaluable for our Ducklings Nursery.
The money we have received from all three charities has made an enormous difference and on behalf of the congregation I’d like to thank them from the bottom of my heart for enabling us to undertake these vital works which benefit the whole of the local community.”
The Clynes Hall was built in 1965 and named after Reverend Andrew Clynes, Herringthorpe URC’s first minister.