Village Hall Information
Regular Users of the Hall
The regular activities at the hall are listed below. The organisers of these eventsvery much welcome new members.
To see what activities are on any particular day, please check the hall bookings calendar.
|
Activity |
When |
Contact |
| BloomBaby mother and baby group |
Monday Two classes 10:00 or 12:00 |
Sara Jackson www.bloombabyclasses.com/reading-north or @bloomreadingnorth on Facebook and Instagram |
| Yoga Asana | Tuesdays 18:00 to 20:00 | Jean Cosham 07484 113401 |
|
Whitchurch
Tap Dancers |
Wednesday 10.30 |
Pauline Bainbridge 0118 984 2504 |
|
Wednesday 13:30 (alternate weeks) |
Philippa Turner (Chairman) 01491 875648 |
|
|
Wednesday 20:00
|
Alan Copeland
alan@curiosities.co.uk 01491 681471 |
|
| Painting Class | Wednesday 18:00 - 19:00 | Anya Goldenberg 07578 190114 or Whatsapp on +380973845668 |
| WhitFit 45 minute community exercise class | Wednesday and Friday 09:15 |
Hannah Dunbar hannah@coach-hannah.com or 07971 116704. |
|
Afternoon
tea and cakes |
Thursday 14:00 - 17:00 2nd Thurs. of the month |
All welcome – no need to book! |
| Youth Theatre Group | Fridays 15:30 to 18:00 | Lori Taliesin info@breaktheboxtheatre |
The hall is also the setting for the annual Arts and Crafts exhibition. Sally Woolhouse is the contact.
The hall is designated as the Place of Safety in the village Local Emergency Plan. As well as being a place to meet, the hall provides an emergency telephone and Wi-Fi, both of which will continue to work during a power cut. The hall also has a small emergency generator to charge phones and laptops and provide lighting.
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:-
- Keith Brooks (Chairman)
- Jean-Marc Grosfort (Event Manager)
- Charles Cotgreave (Secretary)
- Katherine Higley (PC Representative Trustee)
- John Bradon (Treasurer)
- Richard Scearce (Hall Caretaker/Manager)
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 2022/2023 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.