Highlights: Our Financial Advisor, James Anderson, joined the meeting and gave us the good news that our Community Benefit Fund has grown by approximately 12% in the past year, adding £48k to the total. The village hall build has suffered some further delays outside of the control of OCA or TRF and is unfortunately now approximately 12 weeks behind the original schedule. The community sundial project is now confirmed and members of the community have signed up to participate.
Minutes
Committee meeting, May 5th 2026
Highlights: Functional blockwork for the base of the hall walls has been completed, with the decorative front blocks now started. Borehole for the heat pump is to be drilled next week. GreenHeat assure us that there is no risk to neighbouring buildings. Committee discussed reinstating decorating stone panels on the front face of the hall. Committee agree to shorten OCA SCIO’s financial year for 2025/26 as a one-off action during the usual period of the hall build.
Committee meeting, April 7th 2026
Highlights: The steel frame for the hall is up! OCA are to confirm a couple of aesthetic choices for the hall – namely, the roof colour and choice of stone for some areas of detailing. OCA are working with SORELL and ELCC to coordinate our responses to the Reporter re. Springfield Solar Farm. Suggestion made to get a stone sundial for the village hall carved by community members!
Committee meeting, March 3rd 2026
Highlights: SPEN have connected power to the temporary box that will server TRF during the build, but we don’t yet have a meter installed. Final design tweaks for the hall steelwork are underway!
OCA and OCA SCIO AGMs, February 8th 2026
Highlights: Original OCA is still hanging on, due to difficulties in the OSCR processes to close it, but we expect this to be the final OCA AGM.
OCA SCIO reported that the land purchase for the hall has been made and the old hall has been demolished. CWP Energy are fully funding the build of the new hall. Our Community Benefit Fund, invested on the Quilter Investment Platform has seen excellent growth this year. Village hall build progress presentation was made, as well as a summary of Community Priorities for ELCC. The Springfield Solar Farm was noted to be going to a Public Enquiry.
Committee meeting, February 3rd 2026
Highlights: Concrete foundations for the hall are in place! Oldhamstocks church trustees have kindly agreed to host the OCA AGM this year, in place of the village hall. The winding up of OCA in favour of OCA SCIO continues to be problematic but OCA are working with OSCR to get it done.
Committee meeting, January 6th 2026
Highlights: TRF are back on the village hall site and are getting started on digging trenches for the foundations of the new hall. OSCR have changed their advice to us as to how to wind up the original OCA charity, which means considerable work has been wasted, but we are advancing with a new approach. A date for the OCA and OCA SCIO AGMs has been put forward.
Committee meeting, November 4th 2025
Highlights: Agreed to buy a storage container to hold contents of the old hall through the build. This will be stored at Ferneylea to save space and damage to the green. Conversations with ELC ongoing regarding the playground equipment. Some can be moved and reused, but not all. Committee agreed to continue funding the good work done by Oldhamstocks For Nature.
Committee meeting, October 5th 2025
Highlights: Land purchase finally complete! Discussions with CWPEnergy on monies available immediately and in future. Farewell event for the old hall being planned.
Committee meeting, September 28th 2025
Highlights: The Ridge returned a second revision of costing details for the hall build. Pressing for final closure of the land purchase. Village hall requires a postal address for SPEN to disconnect the power! Planning for a farewell event for the old village hall.