Hopes rise for rebuild

A project to rebuild a church and community centre in Bingham has received a huge boost.

The Bingham Reconstruction and Development (Bread) project, which is raising money to build a £1.7m church and community centre on Union Street, has received a conditional grant of £200,000 from the town’s Community Chest.

If approved, part of the grant would be given halfway through the build, and the rest when the project is complete.

It needs final approval from Rushcliffe Borough Council, which has responsibility for the release of Community Chest funds.

The grant was agreed at a full town council meeting on Tuesday by ten votes to two.

Methodist minister the Rev Richard Tanner said: “We are very grateful for the support and the expressions of support as well as the grant that has been proposed.

“We believe that if it is approved by Rushcliffe Borough Council we can see a way to move forward.”

Town councillor Mr Malcolm Barham, who proposed the staged funding, said he had probably been the biggest critic of Bread’s bid for money.

“The scrutiny I have put them through I think has been reasonable but I wanted to be clear in my own about this investment,” he said.

Mr Barham initially favoured one multi-million pound community centre for Bingham, but now favoured investing in projects around the town.

“Why don’t we have facilities spread out around the town so it can be all things to all people in different places?” he said.

Town councillor Mr George Davidson said the Bread group had raised a significant amount of money from their own members over the last few weeks, since a grant application for £250,000 from the Joseph Rank Foundation was awarded only £40,000.

In total, they have raised more than £250,000 from their own members.

Mr Davidson said: “This is going to be something that the wider community outside the Methodist church will have access to,” he said.

“One can take comfort from the fact that in Bingham there has been a wide range of community groups and organisations who have made use of the Methodist church.

“What is clear from the development of the site is that they wish that to continue.

The project will cost £1.77m in total and Bread have so far secured £1,560,000 in funding.

Bread hopes the project could be completed by 2014-15.