To a casual visitor, the town of Wymondham looks quite prosperous with its historic town centre and Abbey. First appearances are misleading; research by South Norfolk Council indicates a surprising number of people living in poverty, or socially isolated, unable to see friends or access essential services.
A new initiative to help bridge this gap is being planned in the heart of the town.
On the corner of Vicar Street amongst the fine houses is an unremarkable single-storey 1970s building in a small car park. The Abbey Hall, built on the site of the former Vicarage Rooms, belongs to the Diocese of Norwich and is managed by the members of the Abbey Parochial Church Council (PCC).
Until the Covid pandemic, it was hired out by the hour as a typical community hall to groups ranging from Brownies to Bridge Clubs, but by 2022, many of these groups had found other homes or closed altogether, and so the hall was underused.
Fortunately, the Wymondham Community Outreach Project were looking for a new home for the Town foodbank, and they have been providing an amazing and much-needed service from there for the past two years. More recently, the Citizens’ Advice Bureau has been based in the Hall, and the MensCraft charity is now using it as a local hub. The Abbey’s Parish Nurse (whose services are available to all in the Town and who is funded by the PCC) also uses the Hall. Volunteers from the Abbey provide a monthly lunch, and more frequent community meals are planned.
The initiative being put forward by the Abbey PCC is to use the Hall as a permanent base, and at no cost, for such groups, while leaving some of the booking-time available to commercial hires such as birthday parties and, of course, the Polling Station.
The building hasn’t been altered since the early 1970s, and it needs considerable work to make it a pleasant environment and to update the insulation and heating systems to provide affordable warmth for the occupants.
The Abbey PCC is currently drawing up plans for this work. This includes updating the toilets, providing secure storage for the foodbank, creating a new office for confidential discussions, and re-roofing and cladding the building with insulation.
Heating will be by heat pump powered by solar panels in the roof, so the project will help with Net Zero ambitions as well as being warm and much cheaper to run.
All of this will take time and money. Being in a Conservation Area, planning won’t be simple, and the works will be phased so that the vital efforts of the Groups and individuals currently using the Hall can continue without interruption. It will take a lot of fundraising;there is already a team in place applying for grants.
The Abbey is totally self-funding and depends entirely on the generosity of its congregation and visitors. Like many churches, it's a challenge to fund the everyday maintenance and running of such a building, let alone find extra sums for community projects. Offering the hall for free use by community projects is the PCC's way of giving back to the local community.
To carry this project forward successfully, we will need engagement from Wymondham’s community, as well as local councils. A steering group of interested parties is being planned to drive the project forwards. There is a lot of hard work ahead, but the outcome promises to be very exciting for Wymondham!
