LALESTON & BROADLANDS

Send Your News To: Carol Thomas

carbrya1@gmail.com 01656 657846

Laleston Gardening Club:

Members of Laleston Gardening Club will be pleased to learn that the project to replace all the sash windows at Cliff Cottage has now been completed. It has been a time consuming effort, but the result is there for all to see.

For a number of years club members had been fighting a losing battle to keep the original soft wood windows in good repair by painting and patching. These original which were mock sash windows could not be opened with the result there was no ventilation in the main hall.

The Club itself provided funding for the first three windows in the main hall to allow the main hall to be ventilated following the pandemic. The windows are manufactured in hard wood with double glazed units and due to our Grade II listing needed to be bespoke and an exact match for what they replaced.

Each window was of slightly different dimensions leading to increased cost. Fortunately a local joinery firm undertook to manufacture them for us. In April 2022 chairman Sue submitted an application to the National Lottery Community Fund and in May of that year the committee were thrilled to learn we had been awarded £10,000.

We were amazed at the speed of the award and it this enabled us to order and have fitted another six windows in March 2023. In early

2023 we learned through BAVO that further grants were being made available by the Suncredit Solar Farm organisation.

Sue took the initiative and put together an application for £3,000 which would part finance the four remaining windows. The grant application was successful and we were able to order the four remaining windows.

There has been quite a delay due to recruitment problems at the joinery company, but we are pleased that now in January 2024 the last four have been fitted. It only remains for Sue to submit a completion report and advise the Conservation Officer at BCBC, the conclusion of a job well done.

The Committee meeting on

January 11 reflected on the festivities leading up to Christmas and then concentrated on what lies ahead in 2024. The first lecture took place on January 8 and the first Ladies Section meeting on the following evening which was well attended.

The Chinese New Year celebration meal due to take place on February 10 is fully booked and there will be a St David’s day supper on Friday March 1 – bookings for that will be taken shortly.

Margaret continues to take deposits and money for the Tatton Park trip in July – there are a few places still available if anyone would like to take advantage of them. The trip involves travel up on Thursday July 18, a stay of one night in a hotel, then the show and return travel on Friday.

The Club shop will reopen on Saturday, February 3. Gerwyn and his team (Ron, Malcolm and Rob), have plans for further improvements to Cliff Cottage, details will have to wait until another day.