AFTER several years of planning, the building of the new church annex at St Aldhelm’s, in Radipole, will start in May.

It will improve the existing facilities for the groups that currently use the hall and create new possibilities for community use in the area.

There will be a large hall, roughly the same as the existing one, and variety of smaller meeting rooms, plus a modern kitchen.

It will feature the facilities one would expect for the less physically able in the 21st century, including a lift.

The annex is being built to a “commercially green” standard.

There will be increased parking on the site by better use of the grounds.

This project is not being undertaken to generate income but to extend the mission of the church in Radipole.

The cost is £1.75m and is fully underwritten.

The congregation have to find £170,000 (a 10 per cenet minimum) of the cost and, to date, they have raised over £40,000 in addition to the personal giving which funds the work of St Aldhelm’s, St Ann’s and the Old Schoolroom in Radipole Village.

THE official launch of Lodmoor Country Park’s Green Gym is set for Saturday, May 7 at 2pm.

The Green Gym has twenty-one pieces of outdoor exercise equipment located at five different stations around a two-kilometre trail. It has also been possible to install a Children’s Green Gym with eleven pieces of equipment located next to the children’s play area. This project has been funded by a Community Spaces grant and has taken fifteen months to achieve, with some twelve organisations involved, before it became a reality.

The launch event provides an opportunity for The Friends of Lodmoor Country Park to thank their sponsors, Groundwork UK, all their key supporting organisations and individuals, as well as inviting the local community to come along and try out the new equipment. At the formal launch, there will be health and fitness experts on site to provide demonstrations on how to use the equipment. Light refreshments will be provided together with isotonic drinks supplied by Morrisons.

THE next Southill Pact meeting is on Tuesday, April 19 at 7pm in the Community Centre.

There will be reports from and discussion with local police and community organisations.

This is a popular meeting and is a regular feature of community involvement for the neighbourhood and a valuable means of communication for residents.