CASE STUDIES
YOUNG VANDALS INVOLVED IN RESTORING THE MISSION HALL THEY VANDALISED... NOW THEY ARE THE YOUTH CLUB:
THE RUIN: The St Richard's Centre, on the Abbots Rd Estate in Selby was extremely vandalised during lockdown and we were asked if we would do the insurance job to restore it. Sinks and toilets had been knocked off walls, and the heating turned on max, windows smashed, and the building flooded... the floor even swelled, pushing the walls of the building nearly over! The vandals were local children, who had seen the building empty, and were notorious for anti-social behaviour.
THE RESTORATION: We at Dream believe in SECOND CHANCES. In this instance we saw an opportuntiy to transform lives, not just be the most affordable option for the building's repair, because at the end of it, we aren't interested in just repairing a building for it to stand empty and have no benefit to the community. That's why we went in the local schools, and asked for the young vandals to become part of its refurbishment! We invovled Kickstart Trainees as well, and the children were involved in its painting and decorating. We ended the refurbishment with a pancake party, and loads of the local youth turned up and loved it! Our team will never forget how the young vandals walked in on the day of the party, faces beaming with pride, telling all their friends and family about painting this and that.... finally being proud of something positive instead of negative! Now these previosu vandals are the core of one of the youth clubs we lead there, and we have seen the transformation in their lives that this small project has made.
COMMUNITY PROJECT TO PROVIDE A LOCAL YOUTH PROVISION AT THE HAWDON, IN SELBY:
THE RUIN: The Hawdon Institute was an underused heritage asset, adjacent to Selby Abbey. There was a need locally for young people to have somewhere to go, where they could socialise, build friendships, learn life skills and access support.
THE RESTORATION: We at Dream saw the potential for the Hawdon to be a youth/community space. We have involved the local community, youth, work experience students, and York university, in incrementally restoring the building, playing on its beautiful heritage character and making it fit to host a regular youth group, weekly community group meetings, holiday clubs, and events.
BOULEVARD YFC PARISH HALL
THE RUIN: St Matthew's Parish Hall was given to Hull YFC so that they could continue their outreach and good work in Hull. However, every building comes with its owns liabilities, and the Hall requires a programme of incremental refurbishment and maintenance, to enable it to become a well used community asset!
THE RESTORATION; The building is viewed as an incredible opportunity for increasing Hull YFC's work, as well as a great excuse for getting the local community involved in some well needed maintenance, repair, cleaning, gardening and DIY.
So far Dream with Hull YFC have led a Community Week at the hall, with local people involved in grounds clearance, gardening and cleaning, whilst we carried out some well needed high level maintance on the building, emptying the rainwater goods and refreshing the exterior main window at the front. The Dream Team have also put in double glazed window units in the refurbished original wooden window frame in the 'soon-to-be' office, installing radiant heaters and plug sockets in their too. Involving the community in some of the works was absolutely lovely, and the YFC team made sure everyone was well fed and watered with their homemade soups and refreshments!
The YFC Team have BIG visions on how they will continue to positively impact and support the people of Boulevard, and we are excited to be part of this dream becoming reality!
BOULEVARD BAPTISTS:
THE RUIN: With a bit of a 'revial' happening in the congregation, it was definitely time to start thinking about the future of the building. With water-pouring into the building from rainwater goods being fitted upside down, a number of holes in the fabric, missing tiles, and a dead felt roof on the back, the building really was needing a bit of help.
THE RESTORATION: RE-PAIRING & REPLACING RAINWATERGOODS & SLATES; EMPTYING RAINWATERGOODS SO THEY ARE FUNCTIONAL; NEW RECYCLED ROOF ON THE END OF THE BUILDING; AND CLEARING OF RAZOR WIRE, TREES & RUBBISH. This work will enable the church to continue hosting Hull YFC's Breakfast Club, Toddlers Group, Sunday School, Church Services, Outreach Services, and Church Services, and perhaps even attract some new faces!
BIRKIN CHURCH:
THE RUIN: Birkin Church has the only Norman Apse in Britain, and is a gorgeously situated church. With life-times of history in its walls, it has been a continued place for the community and worship. However, the building was overdue some maintenance of its fabric, and was quite drafty and uncomfortable with its broken windows and ill-fitting doors. To ensure the building was performing at its thermal best and to make the place comfortable for its variety of users, then something had to be done.
THE RESTORATION: RE-POINTING IN LIME; RAINWATER GOODS EMPTIED; STAINED GLASS WINDOW REPAIRS; STONE INDENT REPAIRS; MORTAR-MATCHING; 'PLASTIC' MORTAR REPAIRS; CONDITION REPORT; OAK-LINED DRAFT EXCLUDER FOR DOOR. It's been so rewarding seeing the community use the building for a variety of events such as Themed Evenings, Suppers, Luncheons, Craft Fairs and more!
WHARTON PARK:
THE RUIN: Wharton Park is set within the heart of Durham City. It is a beautiful park however it was suffering from some long-overdue maintenance to its walls, to ensure its future.
THE RESTORATION: LIME RE-POINTING; MORTAR MATCHING; CONDITION REPORT; & RE-BUILDING OF TERRACE WALLS
CLEAN GOOLE CAMPAIGN GROUP
THE RUIN: Goole has so much potential with great parks, Victorian architecture and some iconic buildings... however, it is a place often known as 'Sleepy Hollow', with a large number of the local community showing little signs of civic pride for the place.
THE RESTORATION: That said, all Goole really needed was a bit of love & a good clean-up, and that's exactly what the Clean Goole Campaign Group has been all about... helping people LOVE GOOLE (#LOVEWHEREYOULIVE).
Some of our team at Dream have helped support the group's set-up, organisation and loan of equipment, and are so proud to see such community spirit bursting through!
BEAUREPAIRE MEDIEVAL MANOR HOUSE, DURHAM
THE RUIN: Beaurepaire Medieval Manor House was a Scheduled Monument with a history of vandalism, anti-social behaviour, litter, and neglect. Once one of the most important manor houses in the North East, through a catalogue of disasters, the site became unloved and unknown. The local village of Bearpark were very much unaware of the site's impressive history, and were a very much divided community. As a cheaper area to live than Durham, the village had attracted people who used the village as a place to commute from instead of a community to invest in.
THE RESTORATION: Once an unloved ruin-now a delightful place to visit for a ramble or a picnic. This scheduled monument site was transformed by the community heritage project we at Dream led, all achieved by the volunteer help and donations we received from local businesses and individuals such as Paxtons, D J Plant Hire, Mobile Mini, Marion Wilson, Durham AAP and TARMAC. The site hosts a number of community events including Music In The Ruins and Medieval Day, and is a major stop-off on the new Northern Saints Trails Pilgrimage Routes.
COMMUNITY GARDEN PROJECT & HERITAGE EVENTS @ ST PETER'S & ST PAUL'S, DRAX
THE RUIN: The Grade I Listed Church of St Peter & St Paul in Drax, N. Yorkshire, is a beautiful church with heaps of heritage, however the building and its grounds had suffered from a lack of maintenance due to low human and financial resource.
THE RESTROATION: With such an important local history spanning back to Roman times, and local heritage sites such as Drax Augustinian Priory, Talleville Castle and Scurff Hall nearby, we were eager to get the local community involved in looking after the grounds and investigating further its history. First, we got local residents, the youth club, and trainees involved in looking after & tidying the graveyard, cleaning the gutters of the church, and doing small maintenance jobs. Then we were part of Heritage Open Days, Community Functions, Heritage Trails & Walks, and more, encouraging the local community to be proud ambassadors of their local heritage and its future!
HELPING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY LOOK AFTER THEIR HOMES DURING LOCKDOWN
THE RUIN: Maintenance is a BIG issue for both heritage and new builds. If roof leaks are not stopped, gutters not cleaned and mortar repointed, than the problems made from water ingress can have very costly consequences.
THE RESTORATION: That's why during lockdown we went around cleaning gutters and doing the odd maintenance & gardening job for those who were elderly or disabled near our office,
CHIMNEY CHENANIGANS-SUPPORTING VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY
THE RUIN: During lockdown an elderly member of the local community in Selby needed the chimney stack on her house taken down and rebuilt as it had eroded greatly and was a big cause for concern to passers-by who could see the chimney was unstable.
THE RESTORATION: With a very tall tower of scaffholding, harnesses, and bounteous amound of mortar, the chimney was fixed and the home-owner made very happy. This was a quick and affordable solution for the home-owner.
MAKING ROOM FOR A BIOMASS BOILER-RE-ROOFING AN OUTHOUSE IN THE CURTILAGE OF A LISTED BUILDING
THE RUIN: A small outhouse within the scheduled area of a cluster of listed buildings needed to be sympathetically replaced and enlarged to cover its new function as a storage for the wood chips and biomass burner.
THE RESTORATION: Our Dream Team made a new larger roof, with a good overhang, to help protect the new biomass boiler and its wood chips storage. The new biomass boiler will enable the adjacent listed building to be heated much more environmentally.
CRAZY PAVING AT DRAX VICARAGE:
THE RUIN: The Vicarage lacked a seating area for families, parents and visitors to enjoy during Vicarage Village Events & Activities.
THE RESTORATION: We at Dream love recycling, and when the the Vicar at Drax wanted some crazy paving done from the stones and slabs she found strewn around her new vicarage, we were up for the challenge! What a difference it made! The new paving area looked lovely and was a great area for community functions & socials for the village!
RESTORING PRIDE OF PLACE IN BEARPARK:
THE RUIN: Beaurepaire Medieval Manor House, idyllically nestled in the Browney Valley, nr Bearpark, was an unloved and overlooked Scheduled Monument. The place attracted anti-social behaviour, vandalism and litter, and its history was unknown. The local community, in particular the youth, had a lack of pride in their local heritage, and were unaware of how rich the heritage was on their doorstep.
