Village Hall re-opens after refurbishment
A renovation programme which began in 2006 was brought to a triumphant conclusion when fifty people attended the opening of Charminster’s Village Hall on Saturday 11th December. The removal of a low suspended ceiling in the main hall and installation of a new heating and lighting system received the unqualified approval of those present, all of whom had in some way been involved in the renovation scheme.
Mrs Christine Shaw, Chairman of the Management Committee, reminded everyone that it had been Jeremy Elliott (then Chairman) who had first suggested that the 100 year old hall was desperately in need of a facelift. The late Graham Shaw had been asked to look at the hall with an architect’s eye and suggest a possible way forward. It was his vision that had finally come to fruition.
The Chairman thanked in particular committee members Miss Eliza Oxley and Mrs Caroline Dick who, with the backing of Mrs Andrea Guppy (Treasurer) had found all the necessary grant funding. She also thanked Charminster Parish Council, Dorset Community Action, Grass Roots and Awards for All, for encouragement and financial backing. Christmas & Brugge, Chartered Surveyors, had overseen the works carried out by NRG Associates of Yeovil and the contract had been completed on time.
Regular users of the hall had vacated without complaint, said the Chairman. She welcomed them back to the new facilities, adding that their ongoing support was essential to the success of the hall.
Finally, following a toast to “Our Village Hall”, Jeremy Elliott was invited to “finish what he had started” and cut the Village Hall cake made by Mrs Alison Blacktop. It was, said the Chairman, a wonderful end to many months of hard work.