Village hall net-zero aims could encourage others

Paish councillors Ruth White and John Fisher hope efforts to make the hall sustainable will rub off on others

Efforts to turn an old village hall into an eco-friendly and sustainable building could inspire others to do the same, parish councillors hope.

In March, Shepreth was awarded just over £62,000 from South Cambridgeshire District Council's net-zero villages scheme towards the "complete refurbishment of the village hall to make it net-zero and to act as a 'showcase' for retrofitting of historic buildings".

Solar panels were fitted two years ago and now external insulation, new windows and a door have been installed.

John Fisher, from the parish council, said he hoped residents would be inspired to make similar changes in their own homes.

The village hall, built in 1909, is at the centre of the community, holding events and hosting a nursery school.

Fisher said: "We want to refurbish the village hall to make it better insulated so it's a better working environment - but most importantly we want to make it an exemplar of the sustainable processes that we can encourage the village and surrounding parishes to adopt, so we end up with better energy conservation, lower fuel bills and a more sustainable future.

"One of our driving motivations is that whatever we do for the village has to be something that's attractive and accessible for the whole village irrespective of income levels - but whether they do that is an independent choice to have the option of cheaper energy."

Ruth White and John Fisher said people who used the hall had already noticed the difference the changes had made

Ruth White, another councillor, said: "The village hall costs a lot to run and we need to make it more efficient for the users.

"The nursery school has already said it's more comfortable to use [since the changes]," she added.

Fisher said: "The hall needs to be brought into the 21st Century in terms of its sustainable profile.

"It's an exciting prospect and hopefully in nine or 10 months' time it will be completed.

"And we are working with other parishes in the area as we want them to use our experience as a foundation stone for their own projects."