It is more than a twig

My morning was taken up with chairing the Lansdown Hall working group today. We meet approximately every six weeks to oversee the steady regeneration of the Hall which is becoming the community venue for the town. Today the architect and his project manager told us about the recently estimated costs for completing the building and its access requirements. It was a rather large figure.

We then heard about the fund raising efforts which if all were successful would still not balance the books. Some thing has got to give. But the results so far have had a noticeable impact on the building, which has been noticed and much appreciated by its users and the public at large, so it is worth all the hours we put in. My time is voluntary, which is currently possible as other work is rather thin on the ground. But I;m glad to be able to make a contribution to this project as it will be around for a long time and it will be enjoyed, which is a key issue for me.

Before the meeting started I heard about a problem in the adjoining gardens to the Hall, the upkeep of which the council manages. A large beech tree has shed a branch a week or so ago and it landed on the next door building. I thought I should have a look as we will have to decide who is responsible for removing it and repairing any damage. I hope it is the owners of the park, but I expect there will be a discussion about that.

I went to the rear of the Hall after our meeting and took this picture for the record. I was pleasantly surprised at how little damage seemed to have occurred, but it does look as if it will be tricky to remove.