FEBRUARY
Appeal for Village Hall Chair to replace Barbara
Richard Preston writes:
Have you ever visited the Village Hall?
Have you ever wondered how it is managed?
Do we actually need a Village Hall?
Why do villages usually have a community building and what purpose do they serve?
These are a few questions that might be asked occasionally, but in reality, who cares?
Being someone who has lived in Steeple Aston all of my life, I am a little biased as I went to school in what is now the Village Hall for 10 years of my life. I served as chairman of the management committee for many years but handed over the reins to Barbara Brewer many years ago now. For me, it is a place where I attend various functions within the village from a quiz to a wake, a Valentine Club meeting to a celebration. I wonder what it might be like if the Village Hall simply did not exist. Is this leading somewhere you may ask?
The straight answer is YES! At the Village Hall management meeting in May, we will lose our chairperson, Barbara, after many years of service. Thank goodness, she is staying on the committee along with another 10 committee members, sometimes described as trustees but more accurately should be called village volunteers. They attend up to 11 monthly meetings a year, lasting about one hour and from there, the Village Hall functions efficiently for the use of the village.
With few exceptions, the existing ‘committee’ are of an age and not really wanting to take on the position of chairperson. Saying that, an incoming chairperson would not have that many duties other than to chair a monthly meeting, prepare, alongside the secretary, an agenda, report to the village through SAL or the website, what the Village Hall is doing and keep the village up to date with proceedings and take a lead in the management of our Village Hall. We have a very competent secretary and treasurer so no worries there and the hall is in a very sound financial position.
The structure is actually owned by Dr Radcliffe’s School Foundation and the exterior upkeep is the responsibility of the parish council, so all the management committee have to do is make sure the hall is used to its best ability and covers the regular ongoing costs associated with the hall.
So here is the challenge! Do you think you could be the next Village Hall chairperson and bring your own ideas to the management committee? What a great way to meet people in the village and make your mark on what must be the best village community around.
Rather than bother Barbara or any existing committee member, just give me a call or email or simply knock on my door and I will try and answer any questions you might have.
The village needs YOU. Please give some thought to my plea as the village is relying on YOU!
Many thanks for taking the time to read this and I look forward to having a “no obligation” chat with you very soon.
Richard Preston – Richard.preston5@btopenworld.com or tel. 01869 340512 or knock on my door at Primrose Garden, North Side.
JANUARY
Steeple Aston to remember with a poppy cascade
From the Poppy Committee:
“This year we shall be remembering 80 years since the end of the Second World War. A small group of us thought it would be a good idea to get together to create a commemorative cascade of poppies tumbling from the church tower.
“So how many poppies have you made? It’s great to report that many people are enthusiastically supporting the project and are promising to make poppies – people from the church, the WI, the Valentine club, members of SACs and the Brownies are some of the groups we know about. That’s terrific but we are going to need a great many poppies!
“Please keep going or get started if you haven’t yet produced a poppy!
“There will be the First Great Poppy Count at the end of February to check how we are getting on. Please make sure you have delivered as many poppies as possible into the box in church by then. We’ll let you know how much progress there has been!”
The members of the Poppy Committee are Kay Francis, Hildy Frenken, Merrill Bayley and Eileen Baglin-Jones.
The WI got started making poppies before Christmas. The photo above shows samples of the various styles of poppies made so far by members. They were on show at their January meeting – woolly ones, fluffy ones and even some felt ones.
Why not have a go at making your own poppies? There are no rules except that the poppies must be red with a black centre. If you need them, there are patterns in the box in the church plus some wool and knitting needles. And if you need more wool, ask Merrill Bayley from the WI on 01869 347802 or email merrill.bayley@gmail.com.