Community Safety Fund - Gilberdyke War Memorial Hall

PCC Jonathan Evison with Hall Trustees Jeff and Sue Pinkerton

Security at Gilberdyke's War Memorial Hall has been given a major upgrade following a successful funding bid to Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison's Community Safety Fund.

The hall is a popular village hub and has been used by residents and local groups for decades, but in recent years incidents of vandalism and anti-social behaviour around the hall and adjacent park have spoiled this valuable community asset.

The CCTV system previously in place had poor coverage and lighting was inadequate. In 2022 there were three broken windows at the hall and £10,000 worth of damage was caused to pieces of equipment in the park. Bottles had been taken from the recycling banks and smashed on the car park. The old CCTV was of poor quality meaning identifying the culprits was difficult and there was little evidence that could be given to the police. The hall’s trustees, working with the Parish Council, made an application for funding to the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Community Safety Fund to upgrade the CCTV system and provide new lighting to improve security at the hall and park at a total cost of £13,000.

£7,000 was secured from the Commissioner’s Fund and £3,000 from the trustees was matched by Gilberdyke Parish Council to cover the total cost of the project which has recently been completed.

The new CCTV equipment provides excellent coverage around the hall and park in high definition quality with recording facilities which will greatly improve the chances of identifying anyone causing damage and anti-social behaviour and improve the feelings of safety for anyone using the hall and park, particularly during the dark winter months.

In September, Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison visited the hall to meet trustees Jeff and Sue Pinkerton and see the work carried out. He said: “I was really impressed with the standard of the new security equipment and I’m pleased that I was able to provide funding to improve the safety at the hall and park. The War Memorial Hall in Gilberdyke is an important community asset which benefits many residents and local groups, it brings the village together and it should be respected. The new cameras and lighting will hopefully deter anyone intent on causing damage and assist in providing good evidence to the police if needed.”

Sue Pinkerton said: “We are extremely grateful to the Police and Crime Commissioner for this funding award, the new cameras and lighting are a great improvement on what we had previously.”

Jeff Pinkerton added: “People should now feel safer around the hall, playing field and play area. The costs for repairing damage should now be reduced, meaning more money can be used to improve our facilities to bring further benefits to Gilberdyke residents.”

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