It is now more than a year since the Victory Hall was closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been a difficult time for everyone in our Community but, hopefully, we can now see an end to many of the restrictions that have clouded the use of the hall and our daily lives. It hasn’t been all bad news, however, as the very successful Stockland and Yarcombe Pre-School has continued to operate at the Hall during much of the lockdown.
It is now time to consider our next steps and this will include resuming our monthly Saturday Fish and Chip nights, hopefully from the 26th June. We are also planning to reopen the Friday night Youth Club as soon as we can. The hall will be open for hire from 21st June 2021, although some special conditions will continue to apply. All of these plans are, of course, subject to the Government’s roadmap and the continued suppression of the virus.
The Village Hall Committee has been busy during lockdown. Since you were all last in the hall, the old fire alarm has been replaced with a new system and the toilet area has been redecorated. Also, the hall now has its own website, which can be viewed at www.stocklandvillagehall.org. Despite this year’s restrictions, we are already seeing the website starting to attract bookings. Additionally, we also have plans to improve the facilities in the hall, including a new bar and converting the old committee room into a multi-functional lounge. This multi-functional lounge will be equipped to allow, for example, conversion into a café area when events are being run at the hall, use by wedding guests wishing to find a quiet corner, or by the Youth Club, as additional space. The building work will commence in January 2022.
If you are interested in joining the Village Hall Committee, or helping out at the Youth Club on a rota basis, please contact the Chairman, Brian Gosden, on 01404 881000, or email chairmansvh@gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you at the hall very soon.
Brian Gosden
Chairman
Stockland Victory Hall Committee