History
We are known by the Charity Commission as The Gresford and
District War Memorial Community Centre Trust.
This brief history of Gresford Trust was made from notes made by
Mrs Irene Dutton, a long standing resident of this village.
Some past records have been accidentally lost and so some of
this information has had to be compiled as best as we could. We
have taken selective information from the Minute Books to give you
a "flavour" of the Trusts History. Would anyone be interested in
forming a Local History Group with particular reference to Gresford
Trust? We could collate memories and experiences and publish them
on this site. Please contact Margaret Heaton or
write to us if you are interested.
1945
- Prior to the end of the Second World War, the inhabitants of
Gresford decided to initiate a Welcome Home Fund for returning
servicemen. This was to be about £25.00 per person and was for
approximately 100 men.
1949
- Miss Allington Hughes owned land in Gresford which she intended
to leave to the people of Gresford, Marford and Hoseley. The
intended bequest failed to materialise and the village decided to
buy this land for the Community for the sum of £3,150, a
considerable amount of money in those days! We understand that the
Welcome Home Fund contributed towards that purchase but we have no
records to say how much that was. The land purchased did not
include the land now occupied by the British Legion Club. That was
the result of a future land "swop".
- Extension of Constitution Club to form ladies' toilets and
meeting room.
- Cricket field sold by Denbighshire County Council to Mr Crump
and three Trustees for £720. (In 1998 the Cricket Club moved to the
present site and the former cricket field was leased to the
Community Council by the Trust.) It is now called Allington Park.
The minutes of 1952 state that new tennis courts adjacent to the
bowling green would be ready for use by May Day. There was also an
option to buy Balmuir Café.
1953
- Further additions to Trust land. A piece of land measuring 1044
sq yds. at the rear of Balmuir Café sold to Mr Crump and three
Trustees for ten shillings.
- Chester Road: there used to be a Butcher's shop? / slaughter
house and field for cows. The land extended back from Chester Road
and the field where the cows were kept is now the site of the
British Legion. The Butcher sold out to Dixons garage. Dixons
wanted a wider access and a land "swop" took place.
1954
- Dixons called the garage Balmuir garage? Balmuir garage also
wanted a wider access and a deal was done by the Trust. There does
not appear to have been any consultation with the village over
these deals but these negotiations may have been in the lost
records.
1970
-
A "Vic Hallam" timber prefabricated structure became the
Memorial Hall at a cost of £11,975. Fundraising took place but the
sum raised was insufficient and the difference was met by Mr Crump.
This building, opened by Mr Crump served the village well until
1997 when it was demolished to make way for the present Memorial
Hall.
- In 1970 the Trust gave 412 sq yards of land to Wrexham County
to make a footpath along Clappers Lane.
- Memorial Hall in debt
Approach to the old hall
Remember?
The old hall
Damp!
Remember the old playground?
1987
- Martin Thomas QC.became President of the Trust.
Possibility of selling Trust land discussed, public meetings held
and the Tennis Club was re-formed.
- Margaret Heaton, Architect and resident of the village was
asked about the costs of building a new hall and moving the cricket
field. (There were insurance difficulties because of the cricket
ground's proximity to the High Street). Presentations were held,
strategies discussed, but the Trust had very little money - they
were land rich, cash poor. To build new sports changing facilities,
a new hall, and create a cricket field also meant moving and
constructing two new tennis courts - this was a formidable
task!
1993
- An idea was put forward to build small starter or retirement
homes around a village green adjacent to the Lake. This would
generate funds for building new facilities but the residents of the
village had to agree to the proposal. The Trust organised a public
display of the proposals in a Portacabin on the Plough car park,
held two public meetings in January 1993 and had a ballot box vote.
Great passions were aroused and the idea was soundly defeated.
- Mr V Davies was elected Chairman of the Trust at a meeting in
the Scout Hut. The Trust had a playground that was dangerous,
buildings that were badly maintained or virtual slums, a pot holed
road, a tangled legal history, poor or lost records, 21 mature lime
trees and 18 acres of land with extensive boundaries. If that
wasn't enough the Trust had only a small amount of capital and
receipts from bookings hardly covered day to day expenses.
- A very successful social event organised by a Trustee, Ian
Gibson raised £1,000 and that was the start of our fundraising. It
was the start of many years spent learning how to apply for
grants.
- The Tennis Club received funding for their new courts. The
cricket club received a grant for building the square and all the
clubs co-operated in having an overall strategy of what should go
where.
- There was the possibility of funding for Millennium projects.
Margaret Heaton drew up plans for a Millennium park which included
an extra football pitch, a new cricket field, two tennis courts,
trim trail, altering a right of way, landscape, car parks, new
changing rooms, a new children's play area and a teenage area. This
plan was presented to Chief Officers of WCBC to ask for their
advice and support.
- The Trust held a fete organised by Colin Brown and Janice
Barnes and supported by everyone.
- Future cricket outfield was surveyed with help from NEWI students. Plans were drawn up and planning
permission obtained for infilling of field to form new cricket
square and outfield. A contract for £1.00 was signed with D Holmes
Plant Hire to infill the land.
- Trust investigated and obtained planning permission for two
Portakabins as temporary changing rooms. Two schemes were
professionally done for extensions to the "Vic Hallam " timber
hall. An Interior designer suggested ways of improving the existing
hall. Groundwork did a landscape scheme for our Millennium park.
All this was a contribution to the Trust and it was on a no fee
basis.
- Application to National Lottery. The process was new to
everyone and our application was returned because it wasn't good
enough.
- An application was put into Foundation for Sport and the Arts
prior to the National Lottery coming into existence.
- Application to SPORTLOT with a phased
scheme. Phase 1 changing rooms and a later phase 2 which would be
for a hall.
- Ian Gibson became Chairman of the Trust and Colin Brown became
Treasurer. They both played key roles together with Margaret
Heaton, Project Co-ordinator in what were to prove a
very difficult times.
- Application to Millennium Fund rejected. We didn't have 50%
match funding.
- Foundation for Sport and the Arts grants us £39,000 with the
possibility of claiming £21,000 back in tax relief.
- The Community Council would only support the scheme if there
was a hall included. We were advised by SPORTLOT to go for National rather than
Regional funding. The application would be based on a full scheme
of changing rooms and crucially, a hall for sport.
- We still had no money but the Community Council were advised
that they could apply for a Welsh Office Loan. They received
£114,000 and from that money they contributed £69,000 to the Trust
scheme. A valuation was carried out on what is now called Allington
Park. The Community Council bought the lease from the Trust which
enabled the Community Council to provide a play area and park for
the village. The Trust used the money from the lease as part of
their matching fund contribution to the Lottery. It was all vastly
complicated but everyone worked together (most of the time) for the
good of the village.
- Letters sent to seven firms of Architects and eight firms of
Quantity Surveyors for fee bids. Designs and consultations followed
during the next few months with the chosen professionals.
- Planning permission given for the whole scheme
Tenders sent out to Contractors
Tenders opened in Architect's office were too high and reductions
had to be made in the specification to reduce the costs.
We now had £313,657 from Sportlot, £39,000 FSA plus tax relief of £21,000 obtained a year
after completion of the building, and a Community Council
contribution of £69,000. With the Trust's contribution the total
cost of building without furniture and fittings at £487,656 was
achieved.
- Contractor Dennis Jones, Willow Lea Builders,
takes possession of the site. The old hall is demolished.
Old hall being demolished
"Drying embers" The old Hall is gone
The old cricket pavilion
The old football changing rooms!
Volunteers demolish the old cricket pavilion
1998
- Building shell to roof height was completed. We have archive
photographs of all the construction, taken by Barry Davies, Peter
Davies, Stan Moore and others.
- Janet Holmes, Secretary from 1995 assisted by Jenny
Dutton,Trustee, took over the administration and organisation of
the new Hall and the Trust land.
It is evident that the building has been completed to a high
standard and is an excellent example of what a small community can
achieve.
Secretary of State for Wales, Ron Davies MP who opened the
new Memorial Hall on August8th. 1998
1999
- Roy Newman became Chairman and made a significant
contribution.
£20,000 was spent on the Constitution Club.
- Two new car parks costing £39,950 were constructed together
with two new benches and jetty as part of the same scheme. The
remaining part of the right of way, adjacent to the tennis courts,
was surfaced.
2004
- Harold Roberts became Chairman and developed the support the
Trust makes to the Arts. Ill health forced his resignation and
sadly he died the following year.
2005
- Jenny Dutton became Chairman
Grant obtained for outdoor play area for nursery children - due to
start July
- 50% grant for this web site that includes a booking system. We
understand that we are probably the first community centre in WCBC
to have a web site and certainly the first to have an on-line
booking system.
2006
- Trust Open Day to show villagers thefacilities,
what we do and what we have achieved . Organised by Laura
Horton and Janet Holmes.
General
The Trust has made huge progress in improving and expanding
community facilities. This is entirely due to the commitment and
hard work of the management committee and the support and
encouragement of its Trustees.
The new hall
Since the opening in
1998 we have provided acoustic panels in the main hall, ball
stop fencing, artificial cricket wicket, indoor bowling mats,
cricket practice nets, football stand, new carpets, equipment and
furniture. We have put money away for future maintenance. We have
spent money on improving our land and bought the machinery to do
it. Volunteer time and expertise is incalculable.
Howzat!
Total investment in the village through applying for grants,
volunteers working hard, donations and revenue from hiring out the
facilities has been in the region of £648,809 since 1995. All the
money which we make is ploughed back into improving the Trust
facilities for the Community. This makes a great contrast to the
situation in 1993 and we feel our success is due to everyone
co-operating and working together. This is really appreciated and
we give our thanks to all who have contributed.