Birnie Hall receives makeover thanks to generosity of painting Bell Group and Moray Council covid-19 grant
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A LOCAL village hall has received an overdue makeover thanks to the generosity of neighbourly businesses and a Covid-19 grant from Moray Council.
Fundraisers at The Birnie Hall, in the village of Thomshill, have been raising money since 2008 to carry out vital repairs.
Thanks to a £10,000 grant from Moray Council through the small businesses support scheme and help from Bell Group, Spence and Grant joinery and Ron Duncan Plumbing, the work has now been completed.
The hall's committee chairman Kenny Morran said: “Our external woodwork was crumbling, the gutters and downpipes were cracked, and the outside walls were discoloured and weathered.
“Along with a number of local village halls, we were fortunate to receive a £10,000 grant through the Moray Council’s small businesses support scheme following the outbreak of Covid-19.
“But even adding the grant money to money we had raised, we were still nervous about getting work done. With the hall being closed, we wanted to ensure we had more than enough left in the bank to keep things ticking over after the refurbishment was completed
"We were discussing what upgrades we could reasonably afford when one of our committee members mentioned our plans to Cameron Milne, who lives right next door to the hall and works as a painter with Bell Group."
Mr Milne, a painter with more than 20 years experience, jumped at the chance to help out – with his bosses happy for him and a few others to lend their services.
"When I heard that the hall was being upgraded I knew there was a good chance that we could help out," he said.
"Bell Group is a family-owned painting and building maintenance company. Although we mostly have large commercial clients, we also train lots of apprentices and are committed to building skills in the community.
“We were in the process of re-locating our storage premises in Elgin and had quite a bit of light-coloured masonry paint available and some black gloss that I thought would be perfect for the hall’s new woodwork.
“Not only were my bosses happy for us to supply the paint for free, they also gave me and some colleagues a bit of extra time to get the whole hall painted. It took a couple of days with five or six painters, but we were all happy to donate our services to a local cause.
"Not to mention it giving me a nicer view from my back garden!"
On top of the repainting, all the rotten external woodwork has been replaced, new fire doors have been fitted, broken cast-iron gutters and downpipes have been renewed and new drainage pipes have been laid, thanks to Spence and Grant joinery and Ron Duncan Plumbing.
Mr Morran added: "I would like to thank Bell Group for their immense generosity and for adding to the positive community spirit that we all need right now. I also extend my thanks to the other two local businesses that donated time and resources over and above the work they quoted for.
"Thanks to the support of local businesses, we will continue to serve the community for years to come. When we reopen, we look forward to welcoming more interest groups and kids parties to our great-looking village hall."
