Village Hall Management, Renovations and History

Village Hall Management

The Village Hall Management Committee is a charity (Registered number 278273) set up in 1970 to run the hall. The current members are:-

  • Jean-Marc Grosfort (Chairman)
  • John Bradon (Treasurer and Bookings)
  • Charles Cotgreave (Secretary)
  • Katherine Higley (PC Representative Trustee)
  • Richard Scearce (Hall Caretaker)
  • Keith Brooks (Trustee)
  • Adrian Dixon (Trustee)

The charity holds an AGM in January to which residents of the village are invited. We are registered for Gift Aid and welcome donations to help provide an excellent venue for community events in the village. The minutes of the 2023/2024 AGM are here.

Recent Minutes of the Management Committee are available.

Recent Renovations

Starting in 2019, thanks to donations of over £7,500 from local organisations and individuals, the village hall management committee were able to make the following improvements:-

Smarter Appearance:-

  • Replace all the old curtains with new fire-retardant roller blinds
  • Repaint the hall with help from volunteers from Grant Thornton’s Reading office
  • Purchase proper new banqueting chairs
  • Add hanging-baskets to improve the outside appearance

New Kitchen:-

  • Redesign and refit the kitchen which now is not only attractive but far more operational, including a new large fridge, a freezer, a convection oven, cooking utensils and better lighting
  • Install smart, hardwearing flooring in the kitchen and small meeting room

Other Improvements:-

  • Replace the windows
  • Clean all the roof and gutters, making repairs where needed
  • Install a new combi boiler (paid for by the PC) to replace the old inefficient system
  • Install Wi-Fi

Although much has been updated, the charming original features have been retained keeping the vintage feel of the hall.

Through the years, previous village hall committee members have taken good care of the hall. Geoff Weir and Nigel Grove had the roof and walls upgraded and put in central heating. Stephen Trinder organised improvements to ceilings, floors, lighting and the stage and kitchen.

The village hall plays an important role in the community. Jean-Marc Grosfort has organised free afternoon teas every second Thursday of the month. These pleasant community events help residents meet new people in the village. The donations at the afternoon teas funded some of the catering improvements.

History

In the Second World War, a camp for Canadian servicemen training for D-Day was built in what is now Manor Road. The accommodation was in Nissen huts but a more permanent building was constructed to provide recreational space and a shower block. Shortly after the war, the accommodation became a refugee camp and members of the Canadian Armed Forces converted the permanent building into a hall. An initial use was to hand out extra rations to those who lived in the camp.

Later, the Nissen huts were replaced by housing and the hall was donated to the village. More history, including that of the Polish Church, is available.

Updated Feb. 2025