AN EXCITING EVENT at the TOWN HALL on Sunday 27 September 2013

NEW THIS YEAR: Lockerbie Jazz Fesstival is spreading its wings to MOFFAT and there will be 2 gigs in MOFFAT TOWN HALL on Sunday 27 September. As well as tickets being available in person from Present Time, they are also bookable online a thttp://www.lockerbiejazz.com/index.php?pageID=166.
There will be a bar open for the event, kindly being run by THE STAG HOTEL, Moffat.
As you will see in the programme, at 12.30 p.m. will be the Champian Fulton Trio - hear a clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzCkDquycc4. 
At 4 p.m. will be Tim Kliphaus - hear a clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWRCYYurUI4
The timing of these gigs is just a few days before the official unveiling of the works that have been ongoing at the Town Hall since February this year.  It's all exciting stuff !!

Ongoing Kitchen works

I saw the early stages of the work being done on the kitchen yesterday evening.  The step down into the kitchen has now gone and so there is flat entry and exit to the kitchen from the Wedding Room.  The cupboard that was always kept locked now looks like a very useful storage cupboard - if it were in my own kitchen, it would make a wonderful larder!  The walls, where necessary, have new plasterboard and await plastering.  It's a large open space at the moment, but the potential is there to see.  It won't be long before it's a brilliant, much more usable kitchen!  You will be kept posted.

Scaffolding now removed from the Town Hall

I went away for a long weekend and, lo and behold! when I returned and drove up through the town, it was such a pleasure to see that the scaffolding had been removed from the Town Hall and the stonework was now revealed in all its glory.  Doesn't it look stunning?

In my view, that I believe is widely shared, the building now adds a real "presence" to the town centre.  The builders are working on the windows and there's still about 6 weeks' work to be carried out.

Here's a detail of the central gable showing detail of the sandstone carving.

KITCHEN REFURBISHMENT

The kitchen in the Town Hall is to be totally refurbished during the coming month.  The kitchen is extensively used by the Community for all sorts of events; particularly for the Saturday coffee mornings, where more than 200 cups of tea and coffee and home bakes are served by a willing group of volunteers. Much of the equipment is old and does not meet the latest health and safety standards.  It has always been the highest priority for the community for improvement to the Town Hall.  The Trust has been helped enormously by an enthusiastic group of volunteers in developing the plans for the new kitchen.

Thanks to funding support from Scottish Hydro Clyde Community Fund and Dumfries and Galloway LEADER Programme, the refurbishment can now take place.  We are delighted that Instock, a leading commercial kitchen supply company from Carlisle, have been awarded the contract.  They will be using local joiners and electricians during the refit.  There will be a totally replaced floor, hygienic wall panels, new worktops, new cooking facilities including a microwave and an instant water heater; a refrigerator, and replacement crockery, pots and pans and tea and coffee pots.

The new kitchen will provide up to date facilities in the Hall, and will provide enhanced cooking facilities which will allow the Trust to offer more extensive opportunities than have been possible previously.

Peter Beck-Samuels, Chairman of the Trust, stated “We are delighted after a number of years that we can now proceed with the refurbishment of the kitchen, and meet the community’s top priority. It will enhance the facilities, and further improve the use of the Hall, especially with its external face-lift as well”.  One of the volunteers who helped with the planning stated “We are looking forward to using the new kitchen, which is well overdue”.