Future Plans Photograph by Alison Dale
Late 2021 we completed the modernisation and improvements to the Village Hall which we started in 2017. The Main Hall now has a new ceiling, with integral lighting, which has made an enormous difference, both to the feel of the place and the sound quality. Gone are the horrible old fluorescent lights, replaced with dimmable panels: the wall lights have also been upgraded with more modern fittings, as have those in the rear hall. Gone, too, are the old curtains: in their place are neat blinds with bright, hand-made pelmets. This enables all windows to be blocked out for performances, or selective ones if the sun is in the wrong place for your activity. The screen over the stage has been extended and brightened, making projection of films, pictures or diagrams far better and a digital projector is now in place for this purpose, also being available for conference calls using Zoom or other media. New wireless devices have been installed to facilitate this, as well as allowing devices to use the powered speakers remotely.
The main hall floor, which is a sprung floor for dancing and other activities, has been professionally renovated (16/08/2021), thanks to a grant from The Postcode Community Trust: we ask you all to treat it well to try and keep it looking this good..
The Rear Hall also has a lowered ceiling with lighting panels to match those in the Main Hall. However, as it is dedicated to Preschool, we are only taking bookings for it where it serves as an addition to the main hall, or when those using it accept the limitations as it cannot be cleared out.
The whole building has been redecorated and is now clean, modern-looking and cosier. To complement the new colours, the entrance hall and stage were re-carpeted.
Thanks to the Parish Council, both rooms are equipped with hearing loops which can be switched on upon request: hearing aids with a "T" setting can utilise these and the necessary microphones are stored at the Hall.
The ladies' toilets are completely restyled, making far better use of the available space. The gents' toilets, along with the one for people with disabilities, have also been modernised and upgraded: a baby-changing facility is located in the disabled toilet.
Along with the complete restoration of the car-park, the final part of the planned work has been completed: the installation of a permanent Proscenium Arch and supporting trussing, which will enable the stage to be used at any time without additional work. All this has been made possible by a large grant from the LEADER organisation, with significant contributions also from The Stamford Bridge Players, other users and the Parish Council.
The Village Hall has been turned into a Digital Hub, which means that , even outside the building, anyone can log on to the internet with mobile devices for the purposes of communicating with others in an attempt to counter social isolation and combat loneliness. This has been accomplished thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund. As technology develops, we intend to advance with it to make our Village Hall as up-to-date as possible. We are currently running courses on digital inclusion, so please contact us if you would like to come along.
You are able to broadcast whatever you are doing in the Village Hall on Zoom, using equipment that the committee has purchased. For instance, if you are having a concert on the stage, you can have it going to the homes of those who would like to see it but do not feel that it is safe to attend, or who live too far away. Any extra cost for the hire of this facility is yet to be decided by the management committee.