The Bircham Centre is a large, very old and well-used building with some parts dating back to before the 17th century. It therefore needs a lot of care and attention and ongoing costly repairs which fall within the scope of the listing of the building. We have recently commissioned a Building Survey which has highlighted a range of work, some minor, some more major, to be completed over the next 5 years. We are now working with the surveyor to understand the recommendations, carry out urgent repairs this year and formulate an action plan for the remainder; planning expenditure over a number of years to continue providing a successful community building for the residents of Reepham into the future.
This process needs time, energy, dedication and of course money. We will certainly be looking at grant funding to assist with some of the work but our generous local community can continue to support us by donating to and using the charity shop, booking the centre for activities and being a member of our 200 club. All funds raised are used to preserve the building for future generations.
Everything costs money – right down to getting the electrics checked every year to comply with Health and Safety certification, without which the Bircham Centre could not open. Trustees have to make sure that the centre is safe and usable; that there are no hazards to cause problems for the public and that the fabric of the building is in good repair.
Some of the work we have completed over the last three years includes repairing the rot in the roof purlins, some of which date back over 300 years, making sure the wood is bug and worm-free, preserving original floorboards, partially rebuilding the porch to ensure it is sound, completely renovating the ‘timber wing’ (the Jacobean part of the building) for the first time in decades, to house the new Reepham Archive, renovating the sash windows in the green upstairs room and repairing roofing to ensure that damp does not ruin the walls. We have repointed all the walls at the back of the building, grassed the rear part of the garden, improved the frontage and provided a pleasant area for you to sit and enjoy the market square.
The work does not stop there – over the next five years we will be embarking on further major work to keep the Bircham Centre fit and healthy for you, your children and their children to enjoy.
What can you do to help?
Continue to use the Centre, give up some of your time and become a Trustee, to donating unwanted goods to us, you are supporting us. When you visit the Library or the shop or the WI Country Market, you are in the Bircham Centre. Everything you donate to us, everything you buy from the shop, every time you use the Bircham Centre to hold a meeting or club or class, you support us in our work to keep the building vibrant and alive.
It sits proudly in the Market Place as it has for the last four hundred years. Do a lot or a little, but do something to help us keep The Bircham Centre the wonderful, essential part of Reepham that it is.
We currently have Trustee vacancies. If you are a local person passionate and enthusiastic about our community and historic building then we would like to hear from you; we have vacancies now and from next April. There are twelve Trustees, who each help with a different aspect of running the Bircham Centre along with our administrator Gill and cleaner Tina. Trustees are responsible for making decisions about repairs to and managing the building, promoting the building, administering the accounts, the Shop and Archive, and the Health and Safety of the building. We would particularly like to hear from you if you have skills in Health and Safety, Accounting or a Legal background. The amount of time you commit is up to you and we hold a monthly evening meeting.
The Bircham Centre is a listed building, central to the community and essential to its sense of being part of Reepham’s history. We would really like to hear from you if you have some time to spare and are keen to join us. Contact Gill for more information, by either dropping in between 9-12, Monday – Thursday, or ringing 01603 879 242 or by emailing thebirchamcentre@gmail.com.
Our work as Trustees allows us to contribute a small part towards Reepham’s history, keeping the Bircham Centre’s place in its past, present and future.
Recycling in Style
Some of our staff and volunteers often receive compliments on the clothes they are wearing and their answer, after thank you of course, is ‘I bought it from our charity shop’!
So to show you just what you can buy in our shop some of our glamourous girls have modelled clothes, shoes and jewellery, purchased from the shop – recycling in style! Come and see the photographs in the shop. Our ever-expanding clothes range is keeping the takings healthy and the building sound, so make sure you remember to check out our bargains, from dresses and shoes to handbags and accessories, often vintage too. Jewels, gloves and hats could make a wedding more sparkly for you!
The Bircham Centre shop takings are a good proportion of the Centre’s income. With the expert touch of Janice Lyles and her team, the shop – stocked by your generous donations and staffed entirely by volunteers – is going from strength to strength. We are immensely proud of its popularity and the really excellent quality of the items we sell. Please keep them, and you, coming in!
On Behalf of All Our Trustees, Past and Present - Thank you!