Taskmaster star Greg Davies gives seal of approval to Shropshire village hall makeover
A major community project which has seen facilities at a village hall extended has been given star approval by Shropshire's own famous comedian .
The towering Taskmaster and Inbetweeners star, who grew up in Wem, opened new facilities, including a new lobby, kitchen and disabled toilets, at Edstaston Village Hall.
The extension adds much-needed space to the popular facility, making the hall fully accessible. Extra outside space has also allowed for a patio area and overflow parking with the work completed thanks to £95,000 in grants and the committee.
The unveiling was the culmination of a project which began in 2017 with the donation of land from the Price family of Edstaston.
Greg, who was educated at Thomas Adams School in Wem, was presented with a portrait of himself painted by committee chair Bev Horsley at the grand unveiling while the ceremony was followed by a celebration party with music by band Halcyon.
Bev said: "It was wonderful that Greg came along. He was lovely and spent lots of times with everyone.
"I want to thank him and also everyone who has worked so hard to improve this valued community resource.
"It was terrific to see it filled with community members young and old who have all contributed to this wonderful achievement."
The Village Hall committee was awarded grants from the Wem Rural Parish Council, Bernard Sunley Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, ACRE/DEFRA (Village Halls Improvement Grant), Co-op Local Community Fund, Midcounties Co-operative Community Fund and Shropshire Council to help with the work and the community began the groundwork in October 2020.
"This was a truly local project," added Bev. "Many skilled volunteers from the community played a massive part in the build, helping to dig the footings, pouring and raking concrete, procuring all materials, doing all the internal renovations, plumbing, painting, fitting the kitchen, building the patio and raising the outdoor ground level with tons of soil to create a future amenity space for the community.
"It has been a fantastic community effort and we are very proud of our achievements so far."
The committee are now starting fundraising for a second extension on the opposite side of the hall to create a stage area with dressing room and storage.
To see more about the project or to find out about hiring the hall visit edstaston.org.uk
