2025 has seen significant expenditure by Welton Village Hall Trust on the structure of the building.
In the spring, we installed solar panels on the main roof which are now generating the electricity the hall uses and earning money when any excess power is sold back to the National Grid. This is a first step on our way to making the hall a net zero carbon site, the eventual aim being to replace our gas boilers and cooker with clean electricity appliances. We are grateful to West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) for financial assistance towards the cost of the solar panels.
We are also grateful to WLDC for upgrading the hall’s wifi, providing a quicker, stronger signal throughout the building.
In August we replaced the elderly flat roofs over the Moncé Room, kitchen and bar area, a significant but necessary outlay to preserve the fabric of the building.
Consultations with Welton residents have shown a strong support for the village hall to become a true community hub, bringing together a number of services and facilities on one central site, with good pedestrian and vehicle access.
To this end, Welton Village Hall Trust has been working closely with Welton-by-Lincoln Parish Council (PC) with the intention of renovating and adding to the existing buildings in order to provide a home for the council’s offices and Welton Library, as well as enhancing the facilities already available.
The initial architectural designs can be seen here and, to carry them forward, the trust and PC have agreed that the ownership and responsibility for the hall site will pass from the trust to the PC, probably by the end of 2025. The trust will be dissolved and management of the project and the running of the hall will pass to a new parish council committee with a management committee of users and interested individuals who have skills to offer.