The hamlet of Wixford plans to have a new, environmentally friendly, village hall thanks to the Warwickshire County Council Green Shoots Community Climate Change Fund..
The full list of 69 projects set to receive funding from the Green Shoots Fund was announced on 30 July 2021 and the replacement of Wixford Village Hall project received one of the highest awards, receiving £24,066.
The Green Shoots funding will enable the Wixford community to replace the currently dilapidated and damp village hall with a building that is energy efficient and fit for the 21st century, where it will once again be a vibrant hub for the local community. This will include:
- Low carbon air-source heat pumps as the primary heating and cooling system. It will extract heat from the surroundings and use it to heat the building;
- A mechanical ventilation system that will include heat recovery to further improve energy efficiency;
- High-grade insulation; and
- Airtightness measures to minimize heat losses and infiltration.
The new village hall is forecast to deliver an 83% reduction in CO2 emissions for each hour the hall is used when compared to that of the old building.
Green Shoots funding is only one part of the story for the project, which is a remarkable example of efficient construction through material reuse. The existing village hall structure is to be removed, and, thanks to a donation from a member of the local community, a modern steel-framed structure with a slightly larger physical footprint will be erected in its place. This method will dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of construction compared to a new build.
The commitment to recycling materials also includes reusing the donated building’s doors, windows and many of its internal fittings as part of the new construction in Wixford.
Work on the construction of the new village hall will begin in Spring 2022 and is expected to be completed by Autumn 2022. At that point, Wixford will once again have a vibrant focal point for the local community and one that is ready to play its part and mitigate its impact on climate change.
John Cain, Chairman of Wixford Village Hall, said: “We were delighted that we were able to receive the support of the Warwickshire County Council Green Shoots funding scheme as it will greatly help in achieving our aim of minimising the carbon footprint of the new Village Hall”
Cllr Heather Timms, Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate and Culture, said: “The replacement of Wixford Village Hall is a great example of the things that make Warwickshire a great place to live: the local community coming together to restore a well-loved and used location in the village in a cost-effective and innovative way.
“The range of start-of-the-art carbon-efficient technologies, such as heat pumps, and a recycled building to replace the existing structure make this such an exciting project and a worthy recipient of our Green Shoots funding. I look forward to following the progress of this project and visiting the new hall when it re-opens in 2022.”
Further information on Wixford Village Hall can be found on their website https://www.wixfordhall.org/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WixfordHall/.
A full list of projects that will receive Green Shoots Community Climate Change funding can be found here: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/news/article/2324/green-shoots-will-soon-be-springing-up-across-warwickshire-as-projects-set-to-receive-a-share-of-wcc-s-1-million-community-climate-change-fund-are-announced
For more information about the Fund, visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/greenshootsfund
For more information about how Warwickshire County Council is facing the challenges of the climate change emergency, visit: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/strategies-policies-legislation/facing-challenge-climate-change-warwickshire
Get the latest news about how Warwickshire County Council and partners are facing the challenge of the climate emergency and how you can get involved: http://eepurl.com/hrk-zf