Dunchurch Dialogue Spring 2008

Dunchurch Village Hall

The display of spring bulbs in the areas bordering the car park heralds that the Hall is now well into its fifth year of operation. At the 7th Annual General Meeting held in March, the Chairman Marilyn Greenwood reported that the Hall continued to go from strength to strength with the bookings diary in a very healthy state. She expressed particular thanks to Jenny Black, who manages the Hall bookings, for the professional way in which she carries out what is often a challenging task. Thanks were also extended to Debbie Coburn and Andy Riden who between them efficiently look after the buildings and the grounds and to the Trustees, whose skill and dedication in managing the operations continue to maintain the Hall to a very high standard.

Brief mention has previously been made of the new Hallmark accreditation being awarded to Halls by ACRE countrywide, represented in Warwickshire by the Warwickshire Community Council (WRCC). Having achieved the one star standard, the Trustees offered the Hall for assessment under the two star category. The report received from the WRCC inspectors commented that:

“Any visitor to the Hall in Dunchurch cannot fail to be impressed by the scale and setting of the building. On entering the building, visitors were met by a welcoming and informative foyer area; smoking, fire, health & safety notices were immediately obvious and further investigation showed a wealth of information for users and a notice board to publicise activities in the Hall. Much work had been done on risk assessment and health & safety activities and it was clear from evidence provided that Les Pearce had been able to apply his considerable experience in this area for the benefit of the Hall. A personal approach is still maintained and that a rota of committee members is in place to welcome infrequent users – very impressive for such a busy hall and clear evidence of the commitment within the committee. The link between the skills & dedication of the Hall, both financially and for the benefit of the total community, was obvious to both inspectors who had no reservation in recommending Dunchurch Village Hall for the award of the Hallmark Quality Standard two”.

Dunchurch is the only Hall in the whole of Warwickshire with this level of accreditation. The Trustees plan to offer the Hall for the top award, Quality Standard Level three, later this year, which requires some help/input from Dunchurch residents. This concerns the service to the community and the needs of the groups and individuals, within the village and district, hiring the Hall. In this context, the Trustees will be circulating a short survey to present and past users, seeking their views on the Hall, suggestions on any improvements and inviting regular users to nominate a representative to assist the Trustees Operations Committee, which is responsible for the day to day management of the Hall and the sports field.

We are glad to welcome Nick Jones who has agreed to be nominated as one of the Parish Council representative Trustees. With the resignation of Marilyn Greenwood there is now a vacancy for a Trustee for anyone seeking an opportunity to help in the community for a year or two. If you are interested to know more about it please contact the Secretary John Chard (Tel 813957).

At the AGM a presentation was made to Marilyn Greenwood on her retirement from the Trustees. It was made in recognition of her significant contribution to the Dunchurch Community over many years. Marilyn was first charged with finding a way of building a village hall, as a Parish Councillor, over thirteen years ago. Over that period she has chaired various groups, surveyed Dunchurch residents about the desire for a hall and suffered many frustrations along the road to achieving her goal. The old village hall building located along Daventry Road, latterly used as a youth Club by Warwickshire County Council, was sold and the proceeds put towards the £800,000 ultimately raised by the Trustees to build a Hall, sports facility and youth club area - the new community centre that we now have. As Marilyn described it “a dream come true; an achievement to be really proud of”. The present group of Trustees, who have worked closely with Marilyn for the past six years or so, have occasionally tried her patience but in her role as chairman she has ably steered the project through a succession of highs and lows. Well done, Marilyn. A huge thanks from your fellow Trustees and good wishes for a well earned retirement.

The future of the Hall at present looks fine and, as ever, the Trustees encourage the Village to continue to make good use of this valuable and hard-earned facility. We intend to improve our communications about what is available and what we are doing and in this respect assistance has kindly been provided by Keith Brushett in redesigning the Web Site to make it more user friendly – please have a look by logging in on ‘Dunchurch Village Hall’. Finally, as always, Jenny Black is ready to assist you with your bookings (Tel 815568).

John Chard