Shropshire village hall gets almost £10k investment as gesture after roadworks disruption
Onibury Village Hall’s committee were able to apply for a grant through National Highways’ Community Legacy Fund
National Highways has awarded a south Shropshire village hall just shy of £10,000 as a gesture following the severe impact roadworks caused for nearly a year.
The job needed to repair Onibury bridge after a tractor crashed into it proved to be more complex than first thought.
It meant that temporary lights that were put in place following the incident on September 1 last year were finally gone on July 25 – nearly 11 months later.
Because of the disruption caused, Onibury Village Hall’s committee were able to apply for a grant through National Highways’ Community Legacy Fund.
A total of £9,999 will now go towards replacing the hall’s kitchen, along with the floorboards and flooring beneath it.
Committee chair Jan Giles said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have secured this support from National Highways.
“This grant delivers the kind of support that would normally take the committee four or five years of fundraising to achieve. Making the floor safe and updating the kitchen means that the hall will be in great shape for the community to use for years to come.”
The application was supported by Craven Arms Councillor Josh Dickin.
“I’m delighted National Highways has recognised what this hall means to local people and backed this project,” he said.
“The community suffered significant disruption during the traffic lights and bridge repair, so I’m glad to see that National Highways has chosen to recognise this through supporting this vital community asset.”
National Highways route manager, Joseph Walmsley, said the repairs were “unexpected” and a “complex project”.
“We greatly appreciate the patience of residents and motorists in Onibury who faced disruption in the months after the accident and so wanted to ensure that we could give something back to the community,” he said.
“We’re delighted that our funding has helped to give the village hall’s kitchen a new lease of life and hope it will be something that the whole community can enjoy and benefit from for years to come.”
The bridge was again hit by a vehicle on Thursday evening (September 24) resulting in a woman being taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for further assessment.
On this occasion though, only minor damage was caused to the bridge.
“It was just a few scratches, but will be repaired in the coming months,” said Mr Walmsley.
“I cannot comment on what happened, it’s still fresh. We’ll be looking into what happened and working with the police if necessary.”