Chairs report

November 11, 2014

Annual Report by the Trustees

as presented at the

Annual General Meeting of Beech Village Hall and Recreation Ground Charity

31st October 2014 at Beech Village Hall

Click here to download a copy of this report in printable (pdf) format.

It has been a busy year again for the Village Hall.  One noticeable difference on the Green this year has been the activity on the swings, balance beam and climbing tower, which are proving very popular with the children who live in, or visit Beech. It is very gratifying to see the parents and grandparents who can watch their children playing here, and making use of this asset provided by and for this community. So this feels like all the work from the previous year in getting the Play Equipment funded, specified, purchased and put on the Green has been well rewarded.

Fabric Improvements and Maintenance

The list of work done in maintaining the land and buildings is both long, and self-perpetuating, as it is always filling up with jobs to be done (like the Forth Road Bridge). This work is led by Ian Gibson, who we are very lucky to have as a Trustee;  the endless detail of this maintenance would stretch the patience of many, but he seems to take it in his very practical and capable stride.  But it also involves other volunteers from the village – a good illustration of that is the Mowing Rota.  The large grass areas we own are a lovely asset – but they need mowing!  So Ian runs a rota of mower drivers among your neighbours, to ensure that the grass is regularly cut in summer, and presentable before village events.  But the mower itself is now showing the strain and this winter it will have either to be replaced, or be overhauled, depending on the advice.  When it is being run under load, it is now producing a seriously interesting amount of smoke, and we have been nervous whether it would last to the end of the season.  It has ….. just.  If you too fancy your skill as a mower driver, and would like to lend a hand, Ian will be happy to hear from you for next year’s rota.

One way to reduce the mowing was spotted by Nick Sorby (but I am not implying that this was his prime motive for the suggestion), and he is introducing a wild flower patch on the Recreation Ground.  It will be very interesting to see what this becomes, and the wild life it will support.

The hedges around the Green too are always providing opportunities for maintenance and we are having them attended to twice a year now – the next planned trimming event is for this November.

The major improvements to the fabric that we have had this year are:

• Resurfaced car-park
• New car park lighting
• New shed bought and erected ( the last one was smashed by a falling branch in a gale)

The benefits of the new car park will be in the ease of clearing snow and ice and also safer passage for those walking on it, when the weather and light is poor.  The new surface is porous (it will absorb water) and so, with the new drainage in the car park, the rainwater runoff onto Medstead Road will be far less, too.  By the time we consider this report, we hope that the new lighting pods will be connected to electricity, and so will be in use for the long winter evenings.  We also are to have the new shed connected for lighting; that will reduce the excitement and mystery of probing and stumbling around for chairs, tables or bits for the Skittle Alley in complete darkness.

The new picnic table, in the area outside the front door, is a memorial to local people who suffered in the 1st World War, and this year is the Centenary for the start of those horrors.  The table has a commemorative plaque, and it was all funded by Beech Parish Council. We are pleased to provide a site for it, and are glad that it is finding a use as a nice spot to sit, outside, with a table, for Hall users.

The key thing to point out is that all of this work, the most significant (ca £30,000) expense being  the car park work, was done with some assistance from grants from EHDC, and the Parish Council, who were particularly helpful, but the main brunt of these expenses was borne by this Charity’s own funds.  We have taken no external financing for the work this year, but handled the bulk of the expenses from internal cash resources. These funds are built up by surpluses coming from the hiring of the Hall, and from social events …. in other words mainly from you, the Beech residents.  So you are also to be thanked and I should like to say that the more you use (and enjoy) the Hall, and support the Social events, the sooner  that we can afford to make improvements as they come up on the list.    The Treasurer’s Report will supply the financial numbers for this.

On the list of future targets for improvement are:

• Refurbishing the Main Hall toilets
• Building a semi-permanent marquee/dance area
• Annexe meeting room and toilet

When funds recover (with your help!) we aim to improve the Toilet facilities in the main Hall, as we are keenly aware that they let the side down.  The damp areas need to be dealt with, the walls need tiling, and redecorating.

We are also excited by the prospect for a modestly priced “extension” to the Hall’s useful weather protected area. We have a plan to turn the largely unused area outside the main hall on the Medstead Road side, into such an area, by means of an external gazebo-like light structure, with access through the double doors in the corner of the Hall.  This will then provide three separate zones – together with the main Hall and the Bar area, and reduce the acoustic challenge of having live music, and eating areas in the same place; or simply to provide additional covered area for events. The main hall facility will be much made easier to use for parties, and bigger events.

The Annexe is based on an old original single skin walled building, and again damp needs to be tackled, and its separate toilet area could do with refurbishment, as our funds allow.

Hall Hire

The bookings for the Hall are running at a good level, and Peter Cox has charge of booking and hiring this important resource for the Village, and the revenue that it collects, for maintaining the facility.  Thank you, Peter, for your continued loyal service and help.  There is plenty of space in the calendar for villagers to book the Hall, and you are encouraged to use it for your own events; there are many local clubs using the Hall, as you can see from the diary on the noticeboard.  Bridge, Art classes, Dancing, Pilates, and other activities … the choice is yours. We have even a demand for the Hall’s Bowling (Skittle?) Alley, which is making a contribution.  The Hall has bookings for  Wedding Receptions too – and how attractive it looks in that role, with the Green as perfect location for our Marquees.   We are also fortunate in having the Hall Hire being supported by Malcolm Grace who so capably takes care of organising the cleanliness of the building facilities, and the maintenance of the catering equipment in the Kitchen.  This too is a continually self-perpetuating task, and we have had a contractor undertake a deep steam-clean of the kitchen, bar and toilet areas recently, and believe that this must become a regular job.

Village Volunteers

Many thanks go to the Beech friends and neighbours who have helped in many ways to make the Hall such a useful facility for the Village over the past year.  These contributions have in some cases involved modest amounts of time, but in other cases considerably more time and energy.  Either way, this is very much appreciated by the Management Committee …. and we also hope that they have had some fun into the bargain.

Social Committee

The Social Committee, chaired by Sally Cox, has arranged an excellent array of village events this year –  the Quiz Evenings, the Summer Ball, the Pub Games Night, The Fireworks Night, the Christmas Fayre and Parties  – and of course the popular and regular last-Friday-of-the-month Social Evenings.   Supported by the Social Committee, the recently re-formed Beech Gardening Club also put on the Village Show this September, with great success, and we hope to have that repeated next year.  We have a full list of events for the coming months, and to help with organising these the Social Committee are always looking for helpers and organisers of events, or to join the Committee.  I know that they are seeking village cooks who are happy to go on the rota of  cooks for a Social Evening.   Please let me (563046) or Sally Cox (563421) know if you would like to help.  Your help will be much appreciated, but you are likely to enjoy it too.

Beech Village Website

The Village website (beechvillage.org.uk) was set up for the Village Hall some years ago by David Woodroofe and is now maintained by Helen Jayalath for the Village Hall, with the help of Ann Bishton and Sarah Neish. This year it has been redesigned by David and given a new look.  This is a useful resource as a record of past and future events in Beech. It has a lovely gallery of local images.  If you have not yet looked, go see it.  You may well find your own picture in it, if you come to village events.  You can find out much other information about what is going on in the village, Club activities, the Parish Council news, and a section about St Peter’s Church.  This is an excellent opportunity to note our thanks and appreciation to  Helen Jayalath and her team for her ongoing support, and skill for this job. It is a great asset for us.

You and the Village Hall

As I keep saying, we are keen to attract more helpers. So if you would like to take this opportunity to know others in your village, in a shared interest and activity, please let us know, and we can find a task or job without doubt . No pressure – the aim is to join in and have fun.  Working with others around hall events and activities is usually accompanied by much laughter.

If you are a recent arrival in Beech, I can particularly recommend this as a great way to become friends with a wider range of your neighbours and accelerate your feeling of knowing, and been known and at home in your village.

Trustee Appointments

Turning to the Management Committee, this is composed of Trustees of the Charity, and others, all of whom have roles with the management of the Hall.

Dealing with the Trustee appointments on the AGM agenda this year, we have no permanent resignations to report.  The Trustees retiring (myself, Ian Gibson and Malcolm Grace) do so by rotation, and all are offering themselves for re-election. We have a new Trustee proposed for election in Myles Scott.  Many will know him as a keen musician, and he may well be the youngest Trustee that the Village Hall has ever had.  We welcome him;  the role he will fill is to look out for, and to arrange, the benefits that the Hall may bring the youth in the village.  He has already served on the Management Committee for some time.

The rest of the Management Committee is Anne Whittaker (also a Trustee, and a much appreciated Treasurer), Peter Cox (Hall Hire) and Elaine King (who was a Trustee, and represents the Social Committee).  Daniel Gordon, a Beech parent of a young family, who, along with other parents in the village, did so much to bring the Children’s Play Equipment into use, unfortunately has had to resign from the Committee due to pressure of work.

We am seeking additional members of the Committee. In particular we should like to have villagers as new members:

• a parent of a young family
• someone familiar with marketing communications
• someone with organisational skills
• or someone with a combination of the above!

If you know, or are, someone who could be prepared to act in one of these roles, please let me know, and I will be very pleased to have an informal conversation (with no commitment on either side).

Nick Charman
Trustee, and Chair of Beech Village Hall and Recreation Ground Management Committee

Click here to contact Nick by e-mail

October 25, 2013

Annual General Meeting of Beech Village Hall and Recreation Ground Charity

25th October 2013 at Beech Village Hall

I am pleased to report that the Hall has been in regular and continuous use this year, as in the past. It is clearly a successful and valuable part of our local community, providing a resource that we do not have any alternatives for in Beech.

This is evidenced by the Hall Hiring revenue which has risen by 15% this year, as you can see in the financial report, and reflects the increase in the use of the Hall by the local community. This takes the form of private parties and weddings, and also local clubs and associations.

The Hall is also in regular use for the Social Events, that are organised by the Social Committee, on behalf of the village. These events are organised and planned by a small team, whose efforts are well appreciated, but this is not always easy! The detail and work that goes into these is significant.

It is often a little difficult to say in advance how popular any event is going to be, and this adds to the challenge, and very occasionally there even has to be a cancellation at the last minute due to low bookings. Needless to say, if you plan to go to a Social Event for which a ticket is needed, it is best to buy early to guarantee your place, and so that arrangements for the numbers attending can be assessed more accurately. The Summer Party, the Quiz nights, the Bonfire night (2nd November this year), the Christmas Party, and the regular last-Friday-of-the-month Social evenings have all been great fun, and well attended.

We plan to widen the age range of people attracted to using the Hall and are, with the help of local young expertise, investigating how to plan and have social events for teenage villagers too.

The Hall has had no major works to its fabric in the 12 month period ending on 30th June 2013, but has benefited from maintenance work and minor improvements – the annexe, in the entrance and the lavatories being a good example. Again the volunteer force who did the decoration are to be thanked for having the fun of doing it! Our plans for the Hall are to upgrade the car parking area soon, and as an allied piece of work provide a better solution for use of the external area at the rear of the Hall, where we often leave the marquee for parties. The thinking is to have a timber frame structure, easily handled fabric roofing and walls, and lighting permanently installed. We shall also be planning to upgrade the lavatory areas in the main Hall as funds allow.

The main achievement in improved facilities over this past year has been the Play Equipment installed for the children of the Village, on the Green, in August 2013. This has been much loved and used since installation, and thanks must go to the contributors to the cost of this facility (many of who are very generous Beech villagers), and to those who put in so much work in planning and achieving this. The sight of so many happy children and on-looking adults on the Green is very rewarding. Looking to the future, the better use of the Recreation Ground is to be studied so as to provide play and social facilities for the older children of the Village.

The Management Committee has a mix of Trustees and non-Trustee membership. We are sorry that this AGM will see the retirement from the Trustee group of Dr Peter Frost, and Alan and Elaine King.

Alan and Elaine particularly have worked on the Committee for many years as Trustees, and their efforts have been long appreciated. They plan to continue to be active in village community life, and Alan will continue to run the bar at the Hall.

The Committee co-opted a new Treasurer (Anne Whitaker) this year, who has agreed to step forward as a Trustee, for election at this AGM. This also means that finally we have been able to allow Phil Ladds to step away from the work of Treasurer, and our deep thanks go to him, for standing by while a new Treasurer was found.

The Committee also now has, as non-Trustees:

• Myles Scott, representing the interest of the teenagers in the village
• Daniel Gordon, who has worked on the acquisition of the Play Equipment
• Peter Cox looks after the business of Hall hiring with great success
• Elaine King, notwithstanding her resignation as a Trustee, will continue to attend the meetings to represent the Gardening Club and Beech Ladies

Other Trustees on the Committee are myself, Ian Gibson (Hall fabric and grounds maintenance and improvements) and Malcolm Grace (Inventory and internal facilities management).

I am keen to hear of any nominations for the Management Committee. In particular a member to look after the communications for the Village Hall, with the community, would be most welcome.

The financial situation of the Charity is healthy, and the net income is currently sound, as the annual accounts show. This is important as it allows the Hall to continue in a well maintained state, and to allow for the improvements we plan. The original Charity Bank loan for the refurbishment has now been virtually paid off.

Nick Charman

Trustee, and Chair of Beech Village Hall and Recreation Ground Management Committee

October 25, 2012

The Annual General Meeting of the Beech Village Hall and Recreation Ground Management Committee was held on Friday 25th October 2012 in the Village Hall. The following is an extract of the report presented by Chairman Nick Charman.

Following Peter Cox’s resignation as Chair of the Trustees, I was asked and then elected as Chair in the spring of this year.  This then is my first report to the Annual General meeting as Chair.

As I only moved to the area in late 2009, when Stella and I were so welcomed by our neighbours at events like the Village Social, we both felt encouraged to “put something back” into the community. I hope that we are doing that with, among other things, my small contribution to the workings and management of the Hall. It is a small charity, and provides services of immense value to this community.  I strongly believe that buying the “house in a nice location” is one step, but having a strong, supportive and friendly environment and neighbours makes that house a real home.

Since the last AGM, at which Peter Cox reported the plans for the then coming period, much building work has been completed in the Annexe.  The Hall Maintenance team has recently been battling the problem of continued damp in the Annexe meeting room, and has now had it re-roofed.  The initial signs are encouraging, and we have just redecorated it, the lavatory and entry hall, and as such this area is now in good condition, and available for use.

The surface of the car park entry has been repaired (for the time being at least), and signs have been erected following the latest Licence terms, to limit late night noise and disturbance.  We are even, now, the proud possessors of a flagpole! The lighting at the Hall has proved unreliable recently, and this has received attention.

Thanks are due to the Building Maintenance team (Tom Thomas and Ian Gibson) for their ongoing work, care and attention. Also they are assisted by volunteers from the village from time to time when a “many-hands” job needs doing – so thanks to them also.

The Social Committee use the Hall as the hub of their activities, and this year has seen many events  for the local community, including the regular monthly “Socials”, the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the Fete and Hog Roast, the Christmas Fair and Christmas Party, a Pub Games night, a musical evening with Gordon Giltrap, a Murder Mystery evening and of course the November fireworks celebrations, and others.  The weather this year was not on our side for the Fete!

The research work entailed in the recent Village Plan showed that there was  a demand for  more engagement with the younger end of Beech society; the Social Committee have taken note of this and have started to consider younger people in the nature and pricing of events.

This Social Committee succeeds through the efforts of John Tomalin, Peter Frost, Elaine King, Stella Charman, Sally Cox and Sarah Castle Smith.  Their energy and work is very much appreciated  – in small part because of the modest financial surpluses that the events often generate, but mostly because a main raison d’etre for the Hall is as a glue. A glue that makes Beech into a community, rather than a location, and these Social events are very valuable indeed for that.  We must also express gratitude for the food for the Socials, which is a lovely contribution of various great cooks, who don’t mind a spot of mass catering occasionally.  In this connection too, I want to mention the ongoing reliable, quiet, efficient and always friendly work of Alan and Elaine King who run the mini-business of the Hall’s bar – keeping it stocked, and handling the equipment, pricing, and of course the bar work.   This too is very much appreciated.

We have just lost another helper particularly for our parties and childen’s events, in the form of Paul  Fleming. Paul and Gillian have moved out of Beech now, and Paul’s energy with lighting and music, and the Christmas parties was fantastic, and will be missed.

The Hall Hire has fared well in the past year, and has seen an underlying growth in revenues of 15%.  Although the total revenue appears to have dipped slightly in relation to the previous year, this is because of an unusual source of revenue in that previous year – in that the car park was then let for local building works parking. Hall hire is a main financial plank of the funding for the Hall and its recent refurbishment.

The Hall as a location for hire is very good value, and well equipped. This makes it popular for the community, for its private parties and celebrations, as well as being a resource of the local clubs and societies, local small business, for meetings and presentations.  Bridge, dance, pilates, art, embroidering, band practice and toddler groups enjoy their regular activities at the hall.  The Parish Council also have their monthly meetings here.

The decorative and floral work of those using the hall for the weddings have shown how this can be made a really charming venue for this purpose, combined with the use of marquee on the ground by the Hall. The lovely location of the hall surrounded by greenery, with the backdrop of pretty Hampshire thatched cottages has grown in popularity for wedding receptions, christenings, and parties.  Many of our wedding hirers love the oak entrance and internal oak beams that enhance the ‘themes’ of their celebrations.  The kitchen is very modern and fully equipped to cater for all needs for up to 120 guests.  Don’t forget that local Beech villagers will benefit from a 25% reduction in the published hire rates.

Cheryl Thomas has been a very busy manager of the Hall Hiring, but has now been reluctantly allowed to take a back seat in this regard.  Our thanks must go to her for her sterling work in this job over recent years. Her resignation from the Trustee body is to be accepted at this AGM. Peter Cox (my predecessor as Chair of the Management Committee) will now be main contact point for Hall Hire.  He will now lead the Hall Hire, and we also welcome Nikki Tomalin who is stepping in to assist in this role.  Ironically we will also be accepting Peter’s formal resignation as a Trustee at this AGM, but his ongoing assistance, experience and wisdom at Management meetings and his involvement will be much appreciated.

The Hiring of the Hall and the Social events rely on the inside of the Hall being clean, and with all its catering equipment in order and in place.  As you will imagine this does not happen of its own accord and Malcolm Grace has kindly taken over stewardship of this aspect in recent months.   Our thanks must also go to Malcolm for this contribution.

The Financial Results for the Charity, for the year to 30^th June 2012 are to be recommended for adoption at this AGM.

In summary these show a surplus of £11,585 for the period.  As mentioned above our revenue in the later period did not benefit from the one-off parking revenue which was gained in the prior year.  In addition the Running Costs latterly included greater expense in terms of Rates, Cleaning and Maintenance costs.  To generate a surplus is vital, as this is the source of funds for the ongoing improvement of the Hall, and for making repayments to the Charity bank, for the loan funding which enabled the Hall’s refurbishment. Phil Ladds continues to provide his services in the role of Treasurer, which is sincerely appreciated, and thanks also go to Chuffy Hunter for his role in auditing these financial statements.

Future Plans

As we have now achieved an excellent facility in terms of the building fabric, clearly this must be maintained at a high standard, and improved as funds allow, where necessary. Following the Village Plan work, in particular I believe that a Children’s Play Area is in the wind, and the land of the Village Hall is an obvious place for this.  It would require planning and risk assessment, as well as funding. All of this will be considered when it is presented to the Committee.

I am keen that the community has access to the Hall, and knowledge of it, and work can be done to improve the communications for the Hall and its activities.  The village website, posters, flyers and the Village Newsletter are all valuable tools in communications, but engagement with the local community can be improved. To that end I should like to see a new member of the Management Committee to take that role on.  This is a good place to ask that if you know a member of the community who might be prepared to assist in this way, and who has some marketing, research and communications experience, I should be pleased to have an informal chat in the first place.

We must have a flow of people to assist with running this Hall, and to allow succession of the various roles, to make sure that the Hall is not just a building – but is a vibrant mini enterprise and social centre, and involving many Beech inhabitants.  This will both share the burden, and make it lighter.  We have a lot of skills in the local community to call on, and I shall be continuing to encourage my neighbours to join in, helping the Hall.

I would like to thank the other Management Committee and Trustees for their support and wisdom, who are: Peter Frost, Alan King, Elaine King, Tom Thomas, Cheryl Thomas, Malcolm Grace, and Ian Gibson.  We are also very lucky to have acquired the help of Sheron Gillard who used to act as our Parish Council Secretary – so she knows the village well, and now she’s helping us with the minutes of meetings, secretarial matters and generally keeping us in order!

If you ever wish to ask a question about the Hall, have any suggestions for us, or wish to help, please call me (563046), or any of the Committee that you know.

Nick Charman

Chairman

October 30, 2011

The last 12 months have been a period of continued consolidation for Beech Village Hall.

Firstly, progress on the Hall itself has been as follows:

• As many of you may be aware, and certainly can see, we now have in place the acoustic tiles in the Main Hall and in the Bar Lounge. The feedback being that this has made a great deal of improvement to the sound levels in the hall.
• New taps in the loos.
• The noise inhibitor system is now in operation in the Main Hall.
• We now have a portable skittle alley for use at the hall or for hire.

Regarding Phase II – the upgrading of what is known as the Annexe – that being the old toilets and store room.

•  The old gents is now a storage facility and the ladies is now a new unisex toilet facility. This part of the phase is yet to be completed – still requiring completion with new sanitary ware, a hand drying unit and hot water.
•  The Meeting Room itself is now in use and has been used for art classes, as a play room and sundry meetings. The room does however suffer from damp and it is something that will need to be addressed in due course.
• The Recreation Ground continues to be under-used and the Management Committee awaits the outcome of the Parish Plan to see what ideas the residents have put forward to utilise this facility more.

The essential bookings needed to cover our costs have continued to be good. Beech Village Hall is now a very popular venue for regular and private bookings and many of our regular users have already taken up bookings for 2012 and in some cases wish to book 2013.

Just a reminder here that Beech residents booking the facilities for their own use receive a 25% discount off of the hourly rate (booking forms can be found on the Beech Village website), but it is advisable to get in as soon as you can. The Trustees are very keen to see more of the Village Hall used by the residents.

Our social programme throughout the year has continued to be well attended. These have included our Annual Fete and Hog Roast, quiz nights, comedy evenings, Valentines dance, jazz on the green picnic, craft fair, bonfire night, cricket tournament and the infamous Christmas parties.

The Social Evenings, held on the last Friday in the month, have continued to be very popular. Thanks here to Stella Charman who has co-ordinated the food volunteers. We do need however need more volunteers to produce the food for each evening if we are to carry on catering the event, so please let us know if you are prepared to give it a go.

Continuing with the them of ‘Your Village Hall Needs YOU’

As I mentioned in my report at last year’s AGM, with success comes new problems and here I make a plea again for help in the running of the Beech Village Hall complex. We urgently need volunteers to act as caretakers and make regular checks on the condition of the facilities. Ideally this would be daily, probably first thing, and would take between 15 and 30 minutes – reporting anything that requires attention. A rota of volunteers would be ideal.

So if you think you can help please let us know.

The Management Committee’s time and efforts is becoming more and more directed to the tasks of planning and control. It is therefore vital that our social calendar does not suffer and we need people of Beech to get more involved in the social side of Beech Village Hall.

In order to ensure that the standard and variety of the events does not diminish, a plea here for residents of Beech who feel that they could contribute some of their time, along with their ideas, to volunteer to join the Social Committee. Please let the new committee know of anyone willing to help.

All the social events can be found on the Beech village website www.beechvillage.org.uk.

It would help the organising committee enormously if we had as many residents’ e-mail addresses as possible so that we could keep the village up-to-date with what is going on. Those of you who have no objection to this please forward your e-mail address.

Many of you will be aware that as a result of our application for a new Premises Licence, forced on us as a result of the extensive alterations to the Village Hall, we had a number of conditions imposed on the Licence in order to “prevent public nuisance” when granted in May. These conditions were as a result of a number of objections to the application from neighbouring households. An appeal against these conditions has been lodged and the case will be heard in Courtroom 01 at Andover Magistrates’ Court on Monday 28th November from 10:00 am.

Examples of two of the conditions set are:

• All external doors and windows shall be closed except for access and egress, when regulated entertainment is taking place after 22:00 hours.
• No alcohol shall be consumed outdoors after 22:00 hours.

The Management Committee feel that these conditions are unjust and fail to see why they were imposed when no justified public nuisance complaints have been received since the new complex has been in operation and other neighbouring village halls, in similar environmental positions, do not have such conditions attached to their Premises Licence.

Finally I would like to thank again my Committee who have made my job as Chairman so much easier through their hard work and many of the residents of Beech for all their help and support during the year.

Peter Cox
Chairman

July 31, 2010

Chairman’s Report – July 2010

Thank you to all those of you who attended this year’s Fete and Hog Roast which I hope you all felt was a success. The weather was once again kind and this helped to make it one of the best in terms of financial return that we have had in recent years. For more about our social events please see the separate report in this Newsletter.

Phase I of the hall’s modernisation is almost complete. All that is left to do is to tackle the acoustics in the Main Hall and Lounge and we are progressing with that over the next few months. This should be complete by the end of the year (funds permitting!!). All the external lighting has now been connected and we will soon have the noise limiter and loop system in place.

Phase II of the hall’s updating is underway. The annex, as it is referred to, has already had all its windows double glazed and the exterior walls facing the Green have been rendered to match that of the main building. We have recently changed the access to the large store room from internal to external and the new double doors can be seen from the Green. The inside of this store room has also been rendered and will house surplus chairs, the marquees, barbecues and sundry landscaping equipment. The electrics are the next area to be tackled, followed by the plumbing and internal wall and ceiling work. As mentioned in the last Newsletter, the main room, presently being used as a storage facility, will become a meeting/ games room. The old Ladies toilet will be upgraded and become a unisex toilet with a small kitchenette and the old Gents loo will become a small storage facility. External ground levels around the annex have now been lowered to stop the damp getting into the building and landscaping of the whole complex will take place once Phase II is complete.

Booking levels for the new Beech Village Hall continue to be good and, as I outlined in my last report, the bookings have created a need to review how we manage the day-to–day running of the Hall. I said in the last issue that we are not in a position to be able to employ a fulltime caretaker and this is still the case. The Hall is booked nearly every day of the week and has to be checked regularly to ensure that our high standards are maintained. Currently this falls on the members of the Village Hall Committee. The Management Committee have now agreed that we can fund, if necessary, someone, or a rota of people, to carry out this much needed function. Ideally, we would like a rota of volunteers who would check each morning that all is OK and sometimes during the day after an ad hoc booking. This would of course save on the Hall’s expenses. However, we are willing, as stated, to pay for this small but important task if we are unable to cover it from volunteers. So please let me know if you feel that you could spare some time, as it is becoming quite an urgent requirement.

This year’s Annual General Meeting of the Beech Village Hall and Recreation Ground Trust takes place on Tuesday 19 October at 7:30pm in the Lounge Room. This is a change of date, so please make a note in your diaries of this alteration. There are likely to be some vacancies for election to the Management Committee, so please put your name forward to me if you are at all interested in deciding the future of Beech Village Hall and how it is managed. We also need to get more of the people of Beech involved in the social activities that take place at the Hall, so if you are not interested in the management side of the Hall, but would like to get involved on the social side of things, please let us know as we need members outside of the Management Committee to join our sub-committees and have a say in what Beech Village Hall can do for its local community – so call or email me, please.

Peter Cox
Chairman

April 30, 2010

I hope you all had a very happy Easter and a special warm welcome to the new arrivals in the village.

Phase I of the hall’s modernisation is nearly complete. Most of the work left to do is external. Over the next few months it is hoped that car parking bays will be marked out and already some tarmacing has taken place. A disabled parking bay will be in place next to the main entrance and nearly all the external lighting has been connected. The acoustics of the main hall are in the process of being investigated. Although this is an issue for some it has not been a problem for the majority of the users of the facility. When funds permit it we hope to make improvements.

Work on Phase II of the hall’s updating will commence shortly. The main room, presently being used as a storage facility, will become a meeting/games room. The old ladies toilet will be upgraded and become a unisex toilet with a small kitchenette. The old gents loo will become a storage room and the back store room will house the larger items with a new external access door. Ground levels around this area are to be lowered to stop the damp getting into the building and when completed we will then look at the landscaping of the whole complex.

The increased booking levels of the new Beech Village Hall are helping to fund these latest improvements, but in so doing have brought along with them a problem. We are not in a position to be able to employ a full-time caretaker and because the hall is booked nearly every day of the week it has to be checked regularly to ensure that our high standards are maintained. Currently this falls on the members of the Village Hall Committee. We would dearly like a rota of volunteers who would check each morning that all is OK and therefore if any of you feel that you could give us some of your time please let me know via the email address at the end of this report.

As mentioned in the last issue of the Newsletter, some of you suggested that we made enquiries concerning the possible purchase of the telephone box that is due for removal from Wellhouse Road. This we did and it is now owned by Beech Village Hall. What we will do with it is still not defined and we are aware that its removal from its present site may be difficult as it may collapse!!!

However, we would welcome any ideas that you may have as to its future. Please note that the Beech Village Walk takes place on Sunday May 2, commencing at 2:00pm and the Annual Fete and Hog Roast is scheduled for Saturday June 19. Finally, a great thank you to you all for your support of Beech Village Hall and for turning out in your numbers for the official opening by Alan Titchmarsh. We desperately need volunteers to join our sub-committees with fresh ideas for our social calendar – so e-mail me, please.