A COMMUNITY group celebrating the historic and iconic role of the Guildhall in Andover has been awarded hundreds of pounds through a council grant scheme.

As previosuly reported part of Test Valley Borough Council’s Four Fun Fridays events, Bring Together Andover CIC - run by Dmitrijs Meiksans MYP, organised the Our Guildhall project.

A giant drawing of the Guildhall by artist Emilio Di Pietro, has been printed onto a large sheet of paper, and participants on each of the four dates can dip their finger into paint, and place it onto the drawing of the Guildhall.

Test Valley Borough Council has now awarded £300 to the group, the money has been given through the Councillor Community Grant scheme.

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Dmitrijs Meiksans, director of Bringing Together Andover, said: “This has been a lovely project to work on.

“I have really enjoyed playing a part in bringing together the community through this shared goal.

“The Guildhall is an iconic building that has been at the heart of the community for centuries, and this project is a way of honouring its history”.

Bringing Andover Together CIC is a community organisation focused on uniting Andover and surrounding villagesm and towns through events and shared experiences.

Residents have been invited to place a thumbprint of paint onto the line drawing of the Guildhall.

Dubbed the ‘Our Guildhall’ project, this venture has allowed more than 300 people from across the local area to contribute to a community-based piece of art.

Residents are also given the opportunity to learn about the history of the Guildhall, with old photos and documents being displayed under the gazebo as discovered and sourced from the local archives in Winchester.

The grant was approved by St Mary’s Ward councillors Iris Andersen, Jan Budzynski, and Victoria Harber.

Cllr Andersen added: “We are so pleased to support this wonderful project.

“The Guildhall is a landmark to the town and it’s a brilliant idea to create art for the community, by the community.”

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The Test Valley Council Councillor Community Grant scheme helps to fund community-led projects up to two-thirds of the overall cost.

Councillors allocate up to £1,000 to projects that they identify as meeting a need in the community based on feedback and ideas from residents.