The story begins in 1865, when the residents of Combs funded the building of a chapel on land given to a group of villagers acting as trustees. Soon thereafter, the building was used most of the time as a school, with Wesleyan church services and other community events also being held there.
In 1907, the Trustees agreed with Derbyshire Council that the building could operate as a Council School, with the council helping to cover some of the costs.
Shortly after the Second World War, Combs Village Hall Fund was set up with the aim of building a village hall. With the school using the chapel building all the time, it wasn’t possible for the community to use it for all of the activities they wanted to. Early attempts to raise funds in the valley went well, but the Government grants that had been available ceased, and with the Peak Park being set up, their more stringent planning guidelines meant that the cost of a hall that would meet the rules was beyond the reach of the Fund. However, in 1962 the Fund did manage to purchase a plot of land on which it was intended to build a hall. That’s the plot of land which is now the recreation area with swings and benches.
Structural defects in the chapel were spotted in 1992, which meant that more than a century of use as a school would be brought to a sudden end. So in 1993, the villagers of Combs came up with a rescue plan for the chapel building. This enabled a large repair grant to be secured from the Peak Park. Without that ‘lifeline’, we wouldn’t have a school and village hall today.
It was in 1994 that the current Combs Village Hall Trust was set up, to comply with the Charity Commission’s requirements, carrying on the work done by the Fund and the original trustees. The £44,000 that was raised at the time enabled the Trust to carry out the repairs, and the school to continue, albeit with no extra space being provided for community activities.
Another challenge came in 1996, when an Improvement Notice was served, requiring changes to the toilet facilities. The Trust put in a short term solution by renting portaloo toilets and then set out to find the means to enhance the village amenities.
In 1997, a project team in the village had fought for and won grant funding of £53,000. This was matched by funds – either in kind or cash – raised by the community, and the £106,000 project began to build the extension to the chapel – the new Village Hall.
The result is what you see today – a multi-use facility managed by the Trust. It provides space and amenities for a school with two classrooms, a community Church (although regular services are no longer held), and a Village Hall which is used by all ages for a wide variety of community activities.
