Progress and Plans

Outline of phased development

The intended practical works on the building consist initially of a preparatory phase and a first phase to develop usage of the Pardshaw Quaker Centre.

The Preparatory Phase

Funds were raised to cover the costs of the Preparatory Phase of work which included:

• urgent roofing repairs (funded by Cumberland Area Quaker Meeting)
• installation of a new distribution board to bring the electrical system up to the latest standards
• electrical backbone cables and ductwork installed to facilitate the next phases of works
• emergency lighting installed to current standards
• fire and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms: to meet current regulations, stand-alone battery powered fire and CO alarms have been replaced with a linked system of detectors and sounders for heat, smoke and CO throughout the buildings
• foul drainage and safety: fencing erected to discourage access onto septic tank soakaway
• creation of a French drain along the front of the schoolroom to limit water ingress from the road
• clearance of invasive vegetation in the burial ground to both keep it tidy and prepare for creating a sloping pathway to improve accessibility
• discussion with a qualified arboreal consultant to advise on immediate and long-term management of the trees in the burial ground and behind the former hostel
• drawings and preparation for building an access ramp
• removal of damaged plaster allowing the walls and timber beneath to dry out
• removal of aged and flaking paint ready for repainting with breathable paints

In addition to the physical works we have also:

• created a website, newsletter and Facebook page for outreach and marketing
• met with the Conservation Officer to prepare to commission a heritage statement
• liaised with Cumberland Area Quaker Meeting and advice bodies regarding suitable legal structures to take the project forward
• set up a small charity – Friends of Pardshaw Quaker Centre and drafted a constitution for a Charitable Incorporated Organisation to take over the running and development of Pardshaw Quaker Centre.

Completion of this Preparatory Phase took over 500 hours’ work which was mainly carried out at workcamps in 2019 and early 2020 by 18 volunteers and 2 professionals. For more information, see Work Camps page.

The next phase – Phase One

This will include:

• a tree survey
• designing of heating systems for meeting rooms and schoolroom
• clearing out of roof-space in schoolroom and improving insulation
• investigating solutions to access issues for people with limited mobility or other impairment
• installation of handwash water heaters in all washrooms and kitchen
• removal of plaster in preparation for a professional lime plasterer
• setting up the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)

On completion of those two initial phases, it is hoped to proceed to a further phase of works to establish accommodation of a ‘camping barn’ standard in part of Pardshaw Quaker Centre.

Informal Bodies and Legal Structures

There are a number of different bodies associated with Pardshaw Quaker Centre.

Pardshaw Development Group (PDG) – a group of around a dozen individuals who have been working together with Cumberland Area Quaker Meeting (CAQM) since Easter 2018 to secure the future of Pardshaw Quaker Centre. This group will be laid down once the two charities have been established.

Friends of Pardshaw Quaker Centre (FPQC) – a small charity set up in August 2019. This charity will be a membership body and its purpose will be to increase participation and promote Pardshaw Quaker Centre. Newsletter recipients will be invited to become members in due course.

The other charity to be set up is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The purpose of this is to become a charity with aims compatible with CAQM in order to allow a leasing arrangement to be drawn up with the agreement of the Charity Commission. This body would be the vehicle to seek funds for carrying out the major works planned for the property. The documentation for this CIO is currently being prepared for submission to the Charity Commission.

Costs and Fundraising

The costs of the Preparatory Phase were approximately £13 000 and the estimated costs of the next phase – Phase One – are £26 000. In addition, we need to cover the usual running costs of Pardshaw Quaker Centre.

Although we have met the costs of the Preparatory Phase and raised a proportion of the sum required for Phase One, we are now seeking funding from other sources including applications to appropriate trusts for the larger sums required.

All donations, of whatever amount, are most welcome.

To make a donation

Please either:

• make a bank transfer
• set up a standing order

Account name: PARDSHAW MEETING HOUSE AND BURIAL GROUND
Sort code: 16-52-21
Account no: 54193821

or:

• make a cheque payable to ‘Pardshaw Meeting House and Burial Ground’ and send to our treasurer:
  Dawn Beck, 29 Elizabeth Avenue, Wyke, Bradford, BD12 8NF

If you are a UK taxpayer and able to Gift Aid your donation, please do so by clicking on the link below and sending the completed form to Dawn Beck at the above address.

Download Gift Aid Form PDF

Thank you