It has been an exceptionally busy year for the committee and a somewhat expensive one for hall funds. The main change has been the completion of new toilets which include proper facilities for people with physical disabilities. After allowing for grants from South Hams Council and the lottery fund, the net cost to us was just below £3000.
Near the end of 2005, the boiler packed in and we were without central heating for almost a month. This involved further expense as well as a much higher electricity bill due to the discovery that the heaters in the new toilets were on for 24 hours a day at a high temperature. Hopefully, this situation has now been resolved. As with every household, fuel costs for both gas and electricity have soared.
On the positive side, the plant sale realised nearly £900 and the Christmas Fair produced over £1,000 which we shared equally with the church. My sincere thanks to all those who worked so hard for such tremendous results.
Mike and Gill Cunniam have kindly taken on the task of selling books for the hall funds and as always, the hall was open to the public on Easter Monday for the sale of books. This year Rosemary and I decided, with the permission of the committee, to extend the activities to include an exhibition of paintings by local artists and the sale of carved wood items by Paul Acke. There were also poems for sale by Rew Roberts. The proceeds from these items went to the new Friends of Holne Church charity.
As a result of the additional interest by the public the sale of books produced in excess of £158 on the day. Our sincere thanks to Mike and Gill for all their hard work. This means that since they took over, they have produced approximately £350 for our funds.
Looking forward to the coming year, we are resurfacing the main area of the car park which will cost in excess of £2,250. Dartmoor National Park has promised us £1,000 towards the cost on the proviso that we slightly amend the wording of the car park notice.
I must thank the members of the committee for their support and in particular, the two Gills who have done an outstanding job in their roles as secretary and treasurer and Margie who does such a fine job as the booking clerk. She has also been a great help to me in what has sometimes been difficult circumstances. She and her family have also done various jobs in the hall as well as repairing the side gate.
Finally, my thanks to Rosemary for coming on to the committee so that I may be kept in order and for reminding me of things which I constantly forget.