Roof replacement in Constantine

In 1951 the women of Constantine got together to form their own local branch of the WI. In the early years they had to ‘borrow’ the use of a local hall for their meetings but in 1957 a former TA hut and surrounding land was purchased and a new hall built in Constantine by local volunteers.

Just over sixty years later the roof of the hall was starting to suffer and the decision was taken to raise the funds required for a replacement roof. Even though the hall was used by a variety of community groups and for private parties the fundraisers had no idea how quickly they would be able to reach their target of just under £7,000 or how much support they would receive from the local community.

Commenting to the Falmouth Packet Constantine WI assistant treasurer Mary Vyvyan said “It’s a real community hub. I don’t think we realised how much local people thought of the hall until we started asking for money. The response has been quite amazing and we are truly grateful.” Their fundraising efforts were boosted by a donation of £2,000 from the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s Community Fund, enabling them to reach their target in a few short months.

Pellow Roofing was selected to carry out the roof replacement work using Hertalan EPDM. Interestingly, according to the Hertalan website EPDM rubber roofing was first developed in the late 1950s round about the same time as the Constantine hall was being built. Originally designed for construction work in the Middle East, EPDM materials are flexible and remain stable across a wide range of temperatures; making them a good solution for Cornwall’s winter and summer climate.

Not only that, studies have shown that EPDM roofing has a long service life and is recyclable at the end of its life span. With good fire retardant properties, being ecologically responsible and environmentally friendly Hertalan EPDM roofing was a good choice as a replacement material for the roof of Constantine’s WI hall. The work was carried out in the summer of 2018 with generous donors being thanked at the July WI meeting. Pellow Roofing was pleased to have been asked to work on this project which means so much to the Constantine local community.