Chairman’s Report
2023 like previous years has been another year of continuing development and change for the Community Centre.
The Centre has always looked for ways to improve its offerings to our users. This year has once again seen extensive effort and fantastic work to achieve this. Often, it is easy to look at the Centre and see all the areas that need improvement, whilst overlooking the areas where the committee has worked tirelessly on improving. It is also important that we recognise that the committee members we see here today, invest their time and effort for free with minimal recognition. That said, I want to take this opportunity to list some of the great things we have managed to achieve during 2023:
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We introduced Wi-Fi throughout the whole building, giving our users free and unlimited access, something many community buildings across Devon still do not offer.
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Our fire doors were upgraded or replaced, including a new splash of paint.
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A number of emergency lights renewed.
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Huge amounts of time and effort (by our committee members) was given to the Enterprising Halls initiative run by Devon Communities, providing us with learnings on how to improve and increase usage at the Centre.
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Our new smart heating thermostats is one area that I was personally keen to implement. In the past we have relied on users or the caretaker to turn the heating on, and more importantly off for bookings. This winter will see its first full use and we can’t wait to see the cost savings that it should deliver.
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I applaud the community effort that has gone into clearing what was once the Old Museum upstairs in the Centre. This room has stood unused for a number of years, housing many Bishopsteignton treasures. The Committee working together with Bishopsteignton Heritage and the Parish Council has managed to almost clear this room and, in the process, removed unwanted items that have been gathering dust for quite some time. We also had the opportunity to carry out a full structural survey on the room due to its condition.
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To ensure the Centre continues to remain a safe place, a full buildings work report/survey was completed, enabling us to manage the Centre better and understand risks involved in any work being undertaken.
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New LED lighting and energy efficient water heaters were installed at the Centre, continuing our efforts to improve cost efficiencies and the building more environmentally friendly to use.
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The outside space has also had some attention. Composting bins have been commissioned to make use of any waste from the kitchen and designs for new raised flowerbeds are also in the works. Users will also see that our planters outside the Centre are now in a better shape than they have for some time. May I suggest if you’ve not noticed them, check out on your way home tonight.
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I also can’t forget the new shiny shed that got installed over the autumn, which was much needed.
This isn’t an exhausted list but just a taster of the things our committee and our supporters have been working hard on throughout 2023. So, a massive thank you to them all!
The Committee membership saw some changes over the last year, with a couple of committee members standing down from their roles, including our secretary. We are always working hard to find new members to join our merry group, as there is plenty of opportunity to get involved in all sorts of areas of the Community Centre.
2024 brings with it many more challenges, but from the success of 2023, I am more than confident that the Community Centre will have another productive year. This is my last meeting as Chairman; after five years in the role, which has been an honour, I have decided to step back and pass the baton on. I believe for the Community Centre to continue to develop, it needs someone who can dedicate time during the working week, which I sadly cannot do. I am also a strong believer that leadership needs to be shared, to allow other ideas to flourish that may not under a long serving Chairperson. I just want to thank all those past and present committee members and Trustees for their unwavering support and friendship during my time in the role. Obviously, I won’t go that easily and will remain as a trustee supporting the committee in any areas that I am able.
Thank you
Dominic Geldard
Chairman
Bishopsteignton Community Centre
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