Members of the Management Committee of Alvechurch Village Hall gathered outside the Hall on Sunday 8th March to officially unveil the newly completed access ramp at the front of the building. They were joined by architect Marc Worrall and metalworkers Bill and Paul Duffett, who made the fencing and railings (Tom Forrester, whose team built the ramp itself, was unfortunately unable to attend.)
The ramp provides access for people using wheelchairs or with restricted mobility at the front of the building for the first time. It has been designed to blend in with the rest of the Hall as much as possible, and some of the materials from the previous steps were re-used. The pattern running across the top of the fencing has been designed to echo the Arts and Crafts-style brickwork pattern that runs beneath the windows of the Hall. Handrails in a contrasting colour have been provided to help people with visual disabilities.
Jan Brice and Annette English, who led to project for the Village Hall Committee, commented “We are really pleased to be able to officially open our new accessible entrance. This was the most requested improvement when we asked our users and the wider community what they wanted, so it’s great to be able to deliver it. We were also pleased that we managed to obtain a National Lottery grant to cover the costs of its construction. Although that construction was slightly delayed due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, we hope that now that it is finished it will provide the help that people need to access and enjoy our lovely Village Hall.”
The Committee also noted that the existing ramp at the side of the building has not been removed and is still available for people to use as they wish.
