Bow Brickhill’s new community hall has risen at a spectacular rate but the project is still short of £65,000.
Last week the site received a visit from His Grace The Duke of Bedford – a patron of the ASTRA Community Projects – the organisation raising the funds and managing the project. The Duke, along with Iain Stewart MP, has been a staunch supporter of the project, since its inception in 2013.
Iain was quick to recognise the new community hall as an illustration of the vibrancy and ingenuity of local communities in Milton Keynes, particularly as the project is taking place in the middle of a pandemic.
Already a colossal £360,000 has been raised from fewer than 200 Friends of ASTRA in a community of only some 650 residents but the organisation is struggling to raise the final sum of £65,000 to complete internal finishes and fittings. Another £20,000 is needed for the two garden areas and last-minute contingencies.
Alan Preen, chairman of ASTRA, said: “With this tsunami of support, we cannot help but succeed – I just want to say thank you.
“I have every confidence that the remaining sum will be found – somehow.”
Iain Stewart MP is lending his voice to the appeal made by the ASTRA chairman to raise the remaining funds needed to realise the full ambition of the hall, which will be a treasured village asset for generations to come.
Commenting, Iain Stewart MP said: “Alan, the project team, and the community of Bow Brickhill as a whole, deserve huge praise for their hard work in making this project a reality.
“They have had to overcome many hurdles and have done so with determination and a very generous community spirit.”
The new building will deliver a much-needed amenity to the village with the re-opening of early years education and it will provide a home for community groups of all sizes and ages.
Interested parties are urged to email the Office of Iain Stewart MP (iain.stewart.mp@parliament.uk) or Alan Preen (alan.preen@electric-help.co.uk).
© MKFM News 2020
