Derbyshire early years provider launches £100,000 fundraising campaign to revamp century-old building

Matlock Pre-School Playgroup has submitted a £50,000 grant bid to Derbyshire County Council as it looks to begin modernising its Tin Hut site, on Smedley Street – and is calling on members of the community to help raise the rest of the cash.

Trustee Layla Winter said: “The pre-school has been part of the community for more than 60 years, and so many parents and children have been part of it. I went there as a child in the ‘80s and came back to it with my own two children .

“There can’t be many people in Matlock who don’t have some connection to the Tin Hut, and we hope they will support us in getting another 40-years or more out of the building.”

The playgroup charity has held several fundraising events in recent months to pay for preliminary work on the project, so every penny now will go on the actual refurbishments.

Layla said: “We think the hut was built in the late 1800s or early 1900s, at one point it was used as a Quaker chapel. It’s basically a tin shack that needs a lot of maintenance.

“We had surveyors inspect it, and they came back with three options: flatten it all and start again, which would cost so much it wouldn’t work, do small bits of ongoing maintenance, or this middle option of a major revamp.”

The plans include recladding and insulating the exterior, new windows and doors, an air-source heat pump and upgrading the electrics throughout to improve energy efficiency.

Layla said: “The idea is to create a sustainable and welcoming environment that gives children a place to grow and flourish, and enriches the life of the community.

“At the moment it gets very cold, particularly at this time of year. There’s no central heating so we’re running electric fan heaters all day, and we’ve had to add extra curtains and draught excluders. If we turn the heaters off, it just goes cold immediately. The children are happy enough running around, but staff have to wrap up to keep warm.”

Detailed costings have been drawn up already, coming to a total of around £111,000, but if the charity wins support from the Derbyshire Grants programme work should be able to start quickly.

Layla said: “If we get full amount we’ve asked for, we could start with the cladding and insulation, but we would have to match at least ten per cent of whatever grant we receive.

“If we don’t get as much as we’ve asked for, we’ll keep going. We won’t give up, we’ve got a long list of grants to apply for and we’ll work through the list.”

To get things started, the playgroup is inviting the whole community to a Christmas fair full of stalls, refreshments, special guests and festive cheer at its other site, on Woolley Road, on Saturday, December 10, 5-7pm.

Supporters can also donate via avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/tin-hut-project, while Co-op members can select the charity to benefit from the retailer’s Local Community Fund at coop.co.uk/membership.

For updates on the campaign, find Matlock Pre-School Playgroup on Facebook, or go to matlockpreschool.co.uk.

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.