Les West stood down as Chair of the Trustees of the Bircham Centre at the recent Bircham Centre AGM. He is succeeded by Tina Pashley. Les was thanked for his support by the incoming chair. Les marked the moment at a garden party in the Bircham Walled Garden, which featured a cake of the Bircham Centre.
During his tenure Les has dedicated his time and skills to consolidate policies and procedures of the Centre, whilst also taking an active role in community events. He will stay on as a host for the Bircham warm room sessions and will also continue with works to build on the successful Reepham Archive talk. Les graciously said that he felt he was leaving the centre in good hands and promised his continued support of the Reepham Community.
Some of the challenges and highlights during his term of office include:
- Supporting the last chair with the Bircham Centre Centenary Celebrations in 2019
- Steering the centre through the COVID lockdown, and subsequent re-opening.
- Fund finding and completion of a refurbishment programme for the hallway, book room and kitchenette
- The Raise the Roof Campaign and repair works to the centre
- The acquisition of a Community Engagement Worker for the year
- Many successful grant applications, including one for the current window refurbishment project
