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MFPT Newsletters 2006

Apr

May

June

July

October

2007

July

October

December

2008

Massey's Folly Provisional Floor Plans

April Consultation Meeting Rep

September AGM report

Massey's Folly Society Newsletter April 2006

As you know from our previous newsletters and meetings, we have been working closely with Farringdon Village Hall to achieve our mutual goals with regard to the restoration, preservation and use of Massey's Folly as a community resource.

It is time for the Farringdon Village Hall A.G.M. at which the existing committee will be standing down and an election will take place for the new committee. Members of the new committee will take on the responsibility of helping to ove the Massey's Folly project forward.

In order to apply for the funding that is needed to be able to acquire and restore Massey's Folly, it is essential that we have the structure in place to satisfy the funding bodies that the funds will be properly administered.

Consequently, whilst Massey's Folly Preservation Trust is being set up as the new charity to hold title to the building with the object of it's preservation, the Farringdon Village Hall charity will be responsible for programming the community activities within the building.

These activities will not happen until the building has been restored but there is a considerable amount of work to be done to ensure that when the building is opened, it will be widely used and supported.

The Farringdon Village Hall is currently governed by a constitution contained in a 1960 Declaration of Trust. The administrative provisions in that document are out dated and inadequate for the purpose of gaining the funding that will be needed to programme this building. Permission has been sought and given by the Charity Commission to amend them.

Attached to this newsletter is a copy of the proposed new administrative provisions. These are based upon the Charity Commission model with a few minor variations that have been approved by the existing Management Committee

Also delivered with this newsletter is the notice of the A.G.M. and, from this, you will see the proposed order of events will allow a vote upon the new provisions to take place before the new committee is elected. If you want to have your say about this you should attend the meeting.
If the new provisions are implemented, then for the first time every member of the committee will be elected. On the assumption that the new provisions will be approved, if you want to stand for election or you want to nominate somebody to stand for election, please read the note at the foot of the A.G..M notice carefully so that you know what steps you need to take.

Farringdon Village Hall Management Committee Retiring Members

A big thankyou to John Prynne (Chairman), Mike Wallace (Treasurer) and Elizabeth Burton (Secretary), all of whom have indicated that they will be standing down from their positions.
They have been great supporters of the Village Hall and the efforts of the Massey's Folly Preservation Trust. We thank them for all that they have done!
It is clear that John and his team have been able to make headway into increasing the village hall funds. This has enabled them to consider undertaking basic works of maintenance to the building that will be of great help whilst the major funds are awaited. They have been careful in their consideration of all other proposals on the table with an eye to the long term future of the Village Hall.

Filming Continues

As many of you will have seen, Endemol, the producers of the Restoration Village programme for the B.B.C., were in the village again a couple of weeks ago. This time the Producer had the drama team with him and was filming a reconstruction of the village in the time of the Rev. Massey as well as the grand opening of the Folly!

Actors were shipped in and we provided extras some of whom you will all recognise! The period costumes were wonderful and the day was a long but very cheerful one, full of banter!

A big thank you to Marianne and John Prynne who gave their cottage over for the day to be used as a dressing room for the actors! Thanks also to Bobby Deane and Bob Stevens.Bobby had volunteered to be assistant props man and was unstinting in his efforts. Bob was, as usual, seen lurking round corners with a long lens on his camera! We understand some pictures will be up on the web shortly. Hopefully, these will give a flavour of things to come!

Tim Charrington's study became that of the Rev. Massey for the afternoon! We understand that refreshments were provided by Tim and much appreciated by everyone. Thank you!

Despite there having been so many days of filming, there will be two final days . Those will be over the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd April 2006. All of the filming will finally end up in about 20 minutes of television!

As part of the filming, we are undertaking a clear up of Massey's Folly on the 23rd April 2006 commencing at 10 am and finishing at 4 pm. For anyone who would like an opportunity of being in the programme or who just wants to help with the clean up, could you please come along with:

SPADES - FORKS - SHEARS - SHOVELS - GLOVES -BRUSHES - RAKES - RUBBISH SACKS AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT MAY HELP TIDY UP THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING

We also aim to have another clean up over the weekend of the 17th and 18th June 2006 but then we would like to concentrate on some areas inside the building. Our aim is to present the building and the efforts of the village in the best light when visitors attend the Road Show.

Finally, Griff Rhys Jones will be in the village soon ! We understand that the intention is to speak to many villagers. So, to the unsuspecting &.it may be your turn next! A meeting has taken place with EHDC planners at the Folly, attended by Jack Warshaw and Conrad Howard of CAP (Architects) and Mary Roberts and Donna Corbin. The planners are supportive of the plans and working with us to ensure tha the planning application will proceed smoothly in due course. Thank you to CAP for their continuing voluntary support!

Mary Roberts has been able to finsh the application for a Project Planning Grant. The voluminous documentation was submitted a few weeks ago and a response is expected soon. This grant should help us to fund the Conservation Management Plan that will be prepared by CAP and enable a full time paid worker to be selected and appointed, hopefully by July.

The Charity Commission are processing the application for MFPT to become a registered charity.
We have been co-operating with the publishers of the book for the Restoration Village series and you will be pleased to know that the book will be available before the series is put on air

BBC Roadshow is coming to Farringdon

The BBC undertake a complete public relations exercise to promote each building that appears in the programme Restoration Village.
Immediately after the programme in which the Folly appears is screened, they will announce the date on which the Road Show will visit Farringdon. Members of the public will be invited to attend so that they can see the building. They are potential voters and we have to do all that we can to persuade them to vote for Massey's Folly!
We will not know the date for this until, at best , three months beforehand and, at worst, two months beforehand. We will be gathering support to organise the Farringdon Festival on the basis that the date will be advised as soon as possible. The first date that may be given is the week end of the 29th and 30th July 2006 and, if this is the case, will tie in nicely with an event to be staged by the Horticultural Society.
We hope that people will come forward to offer their talents so that we may, again, present to the voting public the best possible image of Farringdon.

A meeting of all current volunteers will be held in the next two weeks.

Due to the Roadshow we have agreed that the Farringdon Festival will NOT take place on 1st and 2nd July 2006. Open Gardens will still be on this day.

Massey's Folly Preservation Trust

Email: donna.corbin@btopenworld.com or marysroberts@btinternet.com

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