Mareham le Fen - New hall go-ahead given by majority

I am writing in response to the letter published in the Horncastle News on April 19.

My wife and I moved to Mareham le fen three years ago and the plans for a new community centre was one of the contributing factors why we chose this particular village.

In May 2016, I became a trustee of the village hall.

I served in the army for 40 years, with tours in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, so I am better placed than most to recognise the importance of remembering those who have served and fallen in the service of their country.

Let’s not forget that they fought to maintain our democratic country and that the decision to build a new hall was, by a majority vote, by members of the Mareham community.

Regrettably, letters such as that published in the Horncastle News on Wednesday April 19 are misinformed and certainly fail to tell the whole story.

These are the facts -

○ The newspaper report from the Horncastle News dated January 29th 1921 stated that ‘the present hut has been erected as a temporary rather than a permanent memorial. It is hoped that at some distant date that it may be replaced by a brick building’.

○ In 1923, a purpose-built war memorial was erected in the village cemetery and this contains the names of the fallen of both World Wars. In addition, names of all those who left the village to serve in the First World War are recorded in the village church. The annual service of remembrance held in the church and at the war memorials remembers and pays respect to the memory of all those who served.

○ During its time, the memorial lawn has been used for many purposes, including tennis courts, allotments and bowls green. The memorial lawn is not being sold.

○ Over the years, there have been numerous public meetings and votes to decide on the future of the hall and the outcome has always been, by a majority, for a new hall. The parish council made the decision to proceed with a new hall in 1990.

○ Those who do not support the new community centre are entitled to their views, however it is notable that they offer no vision for the future of this village, just a desire to have things remain in the past and fail to respect the wishes of the majority.

The trustees and volunteers give their time freely for the good and benefit of the whole community.

The hard work to raise the complete funding to build a new centre is a significant event worthy of better recognition than it has received to date.

It is the forward thinking of the current and previous trustees which has made the project a reality.

It will benefit the whole community, especially the young, for which there is currently no facility, and also the generations to come.

This is something we believe those who had the foresight to erect the old hall would be proud of.

R S Crowshaw

Mareham le Fen

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