Tidying Away!

For many years, the area under the stage in the Community centre has been a space where 'stuff' has been stored rather haphazardly. The Committee is delighted to announce that they have commissioned 8 storage cages on castors that slide easily in and out of the space and can hold a large amount of equipment. They were built by Michael Taylor, whose company was responsible for much of the stage renovation.

Vice Chair Sue Hardacre said "No organisation like ours ever has enough storage space and it was frustrating that we could not make better use of the cavernous space under the stage. Over the years, knees, back and tempers have been tested to the limit as individuals have crawled into the cramped and dark space. We built the shed at the rear of the building, but even that was getting full to capacity. We now have a simple and effective system that should be of great benefit to all users."

Three of the cages have been allocated to Toddlers, though some of their larger pieces of equipment remains in the shed. Two cages are full of the Christmas decorations and one each will contain the requirements of Slimming World, Rugby Tots and the Tango class. While much has been removed from the shed, the space released has been taken up with the heavy, wooden staging used for Ashton Hayes performances and the Panto. One day it is hoped to replace this with more modern, light, and flexible staging.

The cages only occupy half the depth of the stage so it would be possible in the future to have a 'double cage' system, with two linked together. With the conversion of the heating system to gas, the Committee has plans to turn the space currently occupied by the old oil tank into another storage room. The Committee aim to have the rooms free from clutter and looking as tidy and business like as possible for users.

Sue said "Thanks to the support of the community over the years the Community Centre has been able to continue investing in improvements that will benefit everyone. Though the current situation will cause a loss in income in the short to medium term, the long term prospects for the Centre remain excellent".