Blackwater Literary Institute
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Steering Group Members
At a public meeting held at the Blackwater School on Tuesday 15 January it was resolved that “ This meeting supports the repair and restoration of the Blackwater Institute and its reopening as a community building for the benefit of the residents of the village”.
A steering Group was formed and the following were elected.
Chairman: Cllr David Came;
Vice Chair: Cllr Dennis Howland:
Treasurer: Charlie Palmer:
Secretary: Dean Evans.
Those submitting their names to be members of the steering Group and/or generally assisting with the project were;
D Woon, N Albury, D Clayton, N Lock, W Elery, Mrs Huxtagle, M Stephens, J Moyle, Cllr R Cooper (CCC), L Anstice, J Tredinnick, S Ledden, S Tew, I Corbet, M Davies, J Hocking, T Tredinnick.
It was also agreed to carry out a survey of households in the village and surrounding hamlets to identify uses for the proposed village hall.
Full notes of the meeting will be displayed once agreed with the Steering Group. A further meeting was arranged for Tuesday 12 February at 7.30 pm.
Dean Evans
01326 212262 |
Notes of public meeting.
PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF THE BLACKWATER INSTITUTE: 15 January 2008, 7.30 pm.
Attendees: Cllr Richard Cooper (St Agnes PC & CCC)
Cllr David Came (St Agnes PC & CDC)
Cllr Dennis Howland (St Agnes PC)
Cllr Mike Polgraze (Chacewater PC)
Charlie Palmer (former Secretary of the Institute)
Jon Teague (Community Buildings Officer CRCC)
33 members of the public.
Dean Evans (researcher into life of Passmore Edwards)
Apologies were tendered by Cllr Les Donnithorne.
Dean Evans outlined the reason for calling the meeting and the importance of the Blackwater Institute building. The Institute had been given to Blackwater by John Passmore Edwards in 1889 and was the first of over 70 buildings funded by him. As such it was of significant historical importance. Originally the Institute had been given for the benefit of all of the villagers but over the years became to be known as the “Men’s Institute”. It was now being proposed that subject to the support of the village the building be restored and reopened as a community building for the use of all of the village once more.
Charlie Palmer then outlined the more recent history of the Institute and the work that he had organised, at his own expense to carry out repairs. The time had now come when significant work was needed to prevent serious decay. Rough estimates had been obtained which showed that the building could be restored and brought back into use for around £150,000.
Cllr Howland said that previous attempts had been made to create a village hall from the redundant Chapel building but although a Trust had been set up, as the Blackwater Village Trust, the project had not been progressed. However, a survey had been carried out within the village of the need for and potential use of a village hall. He suggested that the proposals could once more go forward under this registered trust. He pointed out that the building was in fact situated within the parish of Chacewater and that this had been an obstacle to funding support in the past.
Cllr Came said that Sect 106 funding was potentially available from Carrick DC. Carrick had also put aside around £125,000 for bids by ward councillors for Community use. These bids needed to be with the CDC by 29 February. The Blackwater Institute proposals had been discussed at the last meeting of the St Agnes PC and Cllr Donnithorne had suggested that if combined bids were supported by the Ward members for Porthtowan, St Agnes, Blackwater and Mount Hawke, as well as the Ward member for Chacewater, then a sizeable contribution towards the total restoration costs could be achieved.
Cllr Cooper stated that it was important that the proposals were taken to the Chacewater Parish Council for their support. Cllr Polgraze said that although the Parish Council had been notified of the meeting they had not yet discussed the matter. He was attending to listen to the proposals and to report back to his Council.
Cllr Howland said that there was money set aside by St Agnes PC in a regeneration fund that could possibly be bid for.
Jon Teague (Community Buildings Officer for the Rural Community Council) said that he was encouraged that there appeared to be so much support for the proposals and that local funding could possibly be achieved. It would be difficult to attract funding from the bigger. Regional, funding providers if their was no local money available since it would question the local support and priority for the proposals. He supported the view that a number of funding bids should be submitted for separate elements of the total scheme.
Some concern was raised by members of the public as to whether a community building for Blackwater could be justified, just who would use it. Cllr Howland said that the previous survey carried out showed a significant interest in a village hall but, alas, less enthusiastic to organise it. It was pointed out that a sound business case would be needed to support any funding bids and so an update of the village survey would identify the current need and potential use of a village hall. It was noted that some organisations had folded, perhaps due to a lack of meeting place. Younger residents of the village said that there was nowhere in the village that they could meet. Several residents expressed the view that if they did not try to do anything to improve the village they would end up with nothing. One person said that they might as well take the “L” out of Blackwater and call it “Backwater”.
Concern was also raised as to whether the alterations necessary to bring the building back into full use, eg to meet the requirements of an entertainments licence or fire certificate, would conflict with the heritage value. These concerns were noted and any plans formulated would have to take these concerns into consideration. Jon Teague said there were several examples of historic buildings being modified for modern day use without seriously affecting their historic value. He would be prepared to arrange an inspection of some of these if necessary.
Dean Evans noted that it is understood that the land on which the building stood was given by Lord Falmouth with a condition that if it was no longer used for that purpose the building would revert to the Estate. This was the case in Chacewater where the former Passmore Edwards Literary Institute has now been converted into housing. It was not an option to sell the existing building and create a new village hall elsewhere.
One suggestion was that a visiting doctors surgery could be held at the Institute once restored to cut down on travelling.
Dean Evans asked that the meeting show their support for the proposals by adopting a resolution that he had drafted and read out. This was that “ This meeting supports the repair and restoration of the Blackwater Institute and its reopening as a community building for the benefit of the residents of the village”. This was carried by a show of hands with none against.
Nominations were then invited for officers to the Steering Group and the following were elected
Chairman: Cllr Came (prop Cllr Cooper, sec Cllr Howland)
Vice Chair Cllr Howland (pop Cllr Cooper, sec C Palmer)
Treasurer C Palmer (prop Cllr Cooper, sec P Anstice)
Secretary D Evans (prop Cllr Came, sec C Palmer)
Cllr Came took the chair for the remainder of the meeting.
Slips of paper were circulated on which attendees could signify their offer to join the steering group or otherwise assist. Forms were completed and returned by 16 persons, excluding the elected officers. It was agreed that the Secretary should arrange for a list of the members of the steering group and the notes of this meeting be displayed in the village to encourage more participation.
Cllr Howland suggested that a website could be set up to promote the project and Dean Evans reported that he had already done this. A site in the name of the Blackwater Literary Instiitute had been launched through the Communigate scheme. Access was best obtained by entering “Blackwater Literary Institute” into Google. The site currently gave a brief account of the institute and need for repairs, a calendar on which to announce events such as tonight’s meeting and an email form for making contact. He would keep the site updated with current news and future events.
Cllr Polgraze noted that the next meeting of the Chacewater parish Council was on Friday 25 January and it was agreed that Cllr Came would attend to inform the Council of the proposals and ask for their support. The secretary would write to the Chacewater Council and ask for this to be placed on their Agenda. The Chacewater PC would also be asked whether it was possible to add the Institute building to their umbrella of public liability insurance, since the building was in Chacewater Parish, until such time as the Steering Group’s proposals were formalised. A similar request would be put to the St Agnes Parish Council in case it was not possible to agree this with Chacewater.
It was suggested that a request be made to the St Agnes Parish Council for a start up fund to assist the Steering Group in formalising their proposals and funding bids.
The obstacle of the building being in the Chacewater Parish was discussed and Cllr Came reported that the Boundary Commission were currently considering changes and a change to the Blackwater boundary could be considered.
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NOTES OF FIRST MEETING OF THE STEERING GROUP
Cllr Dennis Howland in the Chair.
Attendees
Councillor D Howland, Vice Chairman, Charlie Palmer, treasurer, Dean Evans, Secretary, Councillor Les Donnithorne, M Polglase, S Ward, P Anstice, K Anstice, L Anstice, J Hocking, B Hocking, M Davies, S Richards, M Stephens, L Stephens, W Eley, R Allen, G Hayle.
Apologies Cllr D Came, Cllr Richard Cooper, Jon Teague, RCC
Cllr Howland introduced the elected officers to new attendees at the meeting and gave an overview of the proposals to restore the Blackwater Literary institute building for use as a village hall.
In his absence, the secretary gave a report on Cllr Came’s attendance at the Chacewater Parish Council Meeting. Cllr Came had attended the Parish Council meeting, accompanied by Cllr Eugine Hope to explain the project and to lobby support. The Chacewater Council were very supportive of the proposals and said that they would consider a request for a contribution towards the project once it was up and running. The Council had also been asked, by the secretary, whether it was possible for the Chacewater Council to include the Institute building on to their insurance policy until the project got under way, since the building was situated just over the parish boundary. The Parish Clerk had looked into this but it was not possible to help in this way, as the building was not in the Council’s ownership.
Cllr Howland reported on the recent meeting of the St Agnes parish Council where the restoration project was discussed. The Council gave unanimous support for the proposals and a promise of £500 made to start off the fund raising. The Council also resolved to assist the steering group in preparing the proposed village survey by photocopying the prepared survey form.
The secretary then gave a report of actions he had undertaken since the public meeting in January.
Press releases had been sent out to The West Briton, Western Morning News, Packet Series, Radio Cornwall, Atlantic FM and Pirate FM. Coverage of the public meeting appeared in the West Briton and Western Morning News. Apologies were offered for quotes attributed to the secretary that had in fact been made by residents. A copy of the press release had been loaded onto the website as well as the Press Release issued following the Parish Council meeting. Concern was raised over low turnout for the evenings meeting probably due to lack of local publicity. The secretary apologised for not being able to put notice up as before but would do so for the next meeting. He stated that he had yet to make contact with “ The Bolster” and a contact name was provided.
The secretary had written to the Tregothnan estate, to ask whether they had a copy of the original conveyance of the land to the Institute and a copy of the original Trust Deed. The estate manager confirmed that they had neither of these documents. The estate was also asked, in principle, their views on releasing an area of land adjacent or behind the Institute for use as a car park. The estate has asked that a plan of the land in question be submitted for consideration.
The secretary had started to look at possible assistance in setting up future use of the Institute building as a village hall and facilities that may be provide. He had made contact with the Senior Youth Worker at Carrick District Council and a meting was planned to discuss opportunities. He had also written to Age Concern, U3A and the Credit Union. The secretary was reminded that at the public meeting it was suggested that local doctors could be invited to attend a surgery or clinic at the newly restored hall. This will be followed up with the practices at St Agnes, Chacewater and Mount Hawke.
The secretary had contacted various funding bodies to clarify funding criteria and had made contact with the Charity Commission. He had also contacted the Hayle Institute and a Chacewater Councillor who had been involved in the Chacewater institute over the issue of lack of deeds and trustees.
The Secretary has written to the Land Registry to see if the land and Institute is registered.
The secretary finally reminded the group that the web site was being updated with any news that arose and that access could be made by simply typing “Blackwater Literary Institute” into Google.
A discussion then took place on the proposed village survey and Luke Anstice volunteered to coordinate the delivery and collection of the survey forms. Agreement had been also reached with the proprietor of the village stores to return survey forms there. Steering Group members later collected copies of the survey forms for distribution.
The Secretary said that he had made contact with Cllr John Carley, of Chacewater, in relation to his registration of the Chacewater Institute with the Charity Commission. The fact that they could not produce the original trust deed and that all of the original Trustees had deceased had not proved a major obstacle. The same situation arose at Hayle. The secretary would now take advice on preparing an application to register the Institute with the charity commission. Jon Teague, RCC, had made some progress on this and had forwarded copies of a model constitution and model Trust deed to the secretary. The matter of appointing new Trustees would have to be considered by the Group.
Cllr Les Donnithorne then addressed the meeting in relation to funding that was shortly to become available from the Carrick District Council for Community projects. Each Ward member could bid for funding and he would be honoured to put his support to a bid from the steering Group. Cllr Came and Hope would also support the project and suggested that Cllr Toby Parkins should also be lobbied for support. The deadline for submission of a bid was 29 February. The proposals to restore the Institute for use as a village hall appeared to tick all of the boxes for this community funding and the information to be gathered in the village survey would be important evidence of village participation and need. He suggested that the bid should be accompanied by a covering letter countersigned by the supporting ward members. After some discussion it was agreed that a bid would be prepared for a sum equivalent to an estimate received to replace the roof of the institute and repair the chimneys (£17,700). This would make the building secure from the weather and remove any safety problems whilst the project continued.
The secretary reported that he was preparing a bid for support from “Pro Help” which would give technical assistance in preparing specifications and drawings.
A discussion on local fund raising then took place. Mr Anstice offered to provide facilities for a fund raising event in one of his fields in the spring. A BBQ was suggested. He also offered a contribution to the project when his affordable housing scheme had been approved. Some discussion of the need for affordable housing in the village followed.
The secretary proposed that the “Friends of the Institute” be launched to both raise funds and ensure village involvement in the project. Membership would be given in return for a contribution to the project with a minimum of £1. He would produce more details for the next meeting. Cllr Donnithorne, said that the “Friends of the Surgery” had raised a significant amount of money in St Agnes. And it was a useful way in which the village could become involved. Charlie palmer suggested that local businesses be written to requesting contributions to the project and pointing out that the hall could become a useful meeting room for sales and training meetings. The secretary agreed to draft such letters for any businesses identified. Jeremy Hocking suggested that local businesses that contributed to the project could be given “free” adverts on the Institute website. He agreed to explore providing the necessary link to the website. Jeremy had also offered to prepare an initial drawing of the building to aid preliminary design work. He would arrange access to do the necessary measuring with Charlie Palmer.
It was pointed out that many of the villagers had never been inside the Institute and it was a greed that an open morning be arranged to give an opportunity to view the building in its current state and perhaps carry out some initial clearing of rubbish that accumulated inside.
The Treasurer stated that he had received a response from the Nationwide Building society about the account held in the Institutes name and arrangements need to be made to appoint new signatories. He would obtain the necessary form.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.50pm.
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NOTES OF SECOND MEETING OF THE STEERING GROUP
Cllr David Came in the Chair.
Attendees
Councillor David Came, Chairman,Councillor Dennis Howland, Vice Chairman, Charlie Palmer, treasurer, Dean Evans, Secretary, Councillor Les Donnithorne, Councillor M Polglase, S Ward, L Anstice, , G C Knight, J M Knight, J Prela, B Hocking, M Davies, S Richards, M Stephens, L Stephens, W Eley,
Apologies Cllr Richard Cooper, J Hocking, P Anstice, K Anstice
1. Bid to Carrick Council:
Councillor Donnithorne stated that Carrick District Council had produced covering documents to accompany the funding bid prepared by the Secretary. He would ensure that these were completed and signed by the Ward Councillors before delivering the bid by the revised deadline of 14 March. He will also ask the Ward member for Chacewater for a supporting email which he can attach to the submission.
2. Results of Village Survey:
The results of the village survey were discussed and thanks given to those members that distributed the forms. The Secretary stated that he posted the results of the survey on the Institute web site. A total of 100 forms were submitted in 10 days and these were used to support the Carrick bid. Respondents were fully in support of the group’s proposals and suggestedf many uses for a village hall once opened.
3 Fund Raising:
The Secretary stated that he had written 39 letters to local businesses asking for support for the project. An immediate response had been received from Conway bailey transport, who gave £500 and from Acland Plant, who gave £200. Letters of thanks had been sent. At the beginning of the meeting C Palmer gave the Secretary a letter that contained a cheque for £1000, being a donation from S Palmer (Wheal Briton Travel), and from C Palmer. In only two months since the formation of the Group a total of £2,200 had been raised or promised. The Secretary stated that he would issue a press release after the meeting containing news of the donations.
The proposed Spring BBQ was discussed and it was agreed that this would be held over the spring bank holiday weekend. Councillor Came agreed to enquire into licensing needs to include live music. The use of a marque could be secured and a number of gas BBQs were available locally. Luke Anstice would firm up on the arrangements.
The Secretary circulated details of the proposed “Friends” group. This would be a means of raising funds locally and retaining interest and enthusiasm in the project. It was agreed to proceed with this idea and Cllr Howland suggested that the Parish Council would print the necessary forms for the Group.
The Secretary also gave details of how a 100 club could be formed to raise funds. This would need local helpers to collect the money and organise the draws but there was the potential to raise £600 a year by this means. A licence would need to be obtained from the District council, at £20 a year (£40 in the first year) but this would also enable other raffles etc to be run.
4. Funding Bids.
The Secretary stated that he had submitted a bid to :Prohelp” which wopuld give professional advice on specifications and plans etc. The bid had been acknowledged that day and was now being considered by the funders.
The Secretary stated that he had started work on a bid to the SITA Environmental Trust and had details of several other funding Agencies. It was suggested that Cory Environmental Trust also be approached. A suggestion was made that the Group could approach the major supermarkets for help and it was thought that a request for goods for the planned BBQ may be successful.
It was agreed that it was now appropriate to write to Chacewater Parish Council to ask for financial assistance.
5 Trustees and Registration as a Charity
The appointment of Trustees, to hold the freehold of the Institute building was discussed. There were 3 options. To appoint a number of Trustees; to ask the Parish Council to hold the building in Trust; or to ask the Charity Commission to hold the building in Trust. It was agreed that a number of individuals should be approached to act as Trustees and that the two parish Councils would be asked to nominate one Trustee each. The Secretary would now seek advice from the RCC and progress the drafting of the constitution and Trust Deed.
6 Open morning.
It was agreed that the Institute building would be opened for villagers to view the current state of the building and the groups proposals on Saturday 29 march, from 10am until 12.30pm The Chairman and treasurer agreed to inspect the building on Sunday 15 march to clear rubbish from within.
7. Treasurer’s report
The Treasurer proposed that the Institute’s Bank account be changed to one that was more easily accessible. It was suggested that a bank that was accessible through the village post office should be looked at and it was agreed that the Secretary would look at making an application to the Coop Bank.
There being no other business the meeting closed at 9pm.
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