Achnamara’s hall returns to centre of village life
A Knapdale village is to reap the rewards of a hard-fought effort to refurbish a vital community resource.
Achnamara Village Hall was facing exorbitant costs that the community could not match when, in 2021, an application to Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) yielded a £30,000 grant for refurbishment and insulation.
Thanks to the funding and the hard work of volunteers, the hall will reopen on Saturday June 18.
Achnamara Village Hall chairperson Kerrien Grant explained: ‘The hall was built in the 1950s by the residents of the new forestry village of Achnamara, but, like many village halls of its time, it had minimal insulation, and over time became draughty and notoriously cold in the winter.
‘It took a lot of heating, and one of the main operating costs was electricity to keep the hall warm during events.
‘With electricity costs rising so dramatically, this became a real problem, but the cost of insulating and draught-proofing the hall was prohibitive for such a small community.’
In late 2021 HIE launched a one-off, competitive fund for communities to invest in heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures for community buildings: The Greening Community Assets Fund.
Achnamara Community Trust SCIO applied for a grant and heard in January it had been awarded the maximum.
Kerrien added: ‘Our community has also recently been awarded an Argyll and Bute Council community grant to help us get new activities running, including film nights, yoga, skiff rowing and craft days, over the coming year.’
Pre-Covid, Achnamara Village Hall was at the heart of community life on the Knapdale peninsula. The refurbished hall will again host regular activities and one-off events through the year.