PROGRESS ON THE TRAINING CENTRE

by Mark Howe

When the notary handed us the keys in July 1994, we had little idea of what would be involved in transforming the family home into a training centre. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it is probably just as well that we did not know what was in store for us!

Susan and I knew something about building, having bought a similar property a few years earlier, but this time we decided to get a local builder in to give us an estimate of the amount of work involved. His figure turned out to be wildly optimistic, and we soon realised that we could not afford to use paid labour for all the work needed. The MEPA team has spent a lot of time learning to plaster, tile, plumb and wire, but the DIY jobs in our own homes now look a lot simpler. Help from both sides of the Channel has been much appreciated.

We decided early on to do our best to comply with French safety regulations, despite the advice of our architect to falsify our planning application, and quickly realised why so many people choose the illegal route. Seven fire doors and emergency lights later, we still await a final price for the fire alarm. Fortunately, these purchases should not increase the running costs of the building, and we are not likely to be shut down by the fire brigade, as has happened to several Christian organisations recently.

When completed, we will have four bedrooms, two training rooms, a dining room, a kitchen and two bathrooms, as well as the MEPA office in the basement.

At the time of writing, we are trying to get the building ready to host the European Zone conference. The major outstanding tasks are fitting shutters and weatherproofing the outside of the building. For over a year we have been discussing how to render one particular wall, the main problem being the 10m drop into a forest if the scaffolding slips on the 45^o mud slope. One day...

In the next edition of Borderlines, Mark will outline MEPA's plans to use the training centre.