Volunteers celebrate House of Commons invite to mark national Village Hall Week
From weddings to flower shows, from science fairs to comedy nights – village halls are the heartbeat of many rural communities, and members of one in Telford will today travel to the House of Commons to mark the start of national Village Hall Week.
Of the 10,000 halls across the UK, members of the venue in Ellerdine have been chosen to go to the Palace of Westminster to celebrate the community spaces and the people who dedicate their time to ensure they continue to run.
Sylvia Goodman and Cheri Williams are set to travel from the small hamlet six miles north of Wellington to join committee members from 20 other village halls to mark the start of the event, running until Friday.
A reception led by Baron Gardiner of Kimble will take place in Thames Pavilion on behalf of event organisers, Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE).
Sylvia, who joined Ellerdine Village Hall committee three years ago as its safeguarding officer, said they were invited following a successful grant application to make the hall more accessible to all.
"The reason we've been selected is the fact we're one of the very first to get a grant from ACRE to help with the maintenance of the village hall," she said.
"The toilets have been in there since the hall was built in 1975 so they're in need of a refurbishment."
With a £13,000 ACRE grant covering the tax on a £75,000 refurbishment, the hall is having its toilet renovated plus an additional accessible toilet and entrance installed.
"Our hall has always been open to everyone, but it's had its setbacks as it didn't have a disabled toilet and it was difficult getting wheelchairs through the standard size door," Sylvia added.
"Now it will make our hall easily accessible to everyone which is a big plus."
Michelle Cliff, village hall chairman, said: "It's a really big honour to be invited to the reception and a good opportunity to be recognised nationally.
"Village Hall Week is a celebration so we're celebrating the work they do in local communities – they make such a difference in rural areas.
"In a time when pubs, businesses and post offices are closing down there are less places to meet people. Village halls are historic and have been around for many years and hopefully they can stay for many more years to come."
