As this year draws to a close we wanted to reflect on the extraordinary year it has been!
Over the past 12 months, our village hall has been quietly building sustainability and whole
community engagement, having had some success with grant applications with both Devon
County Council and the National Lottery. We’ve gone greener with solar panels, warmer with
full window replacements to double-glazed units and loft insulation, and safer with new secure
doors. Inside, the toilets have enjoyed a refresh with a fresh coat of paint and shiny new hand
dryers, while behind the scenes a commercial fridge is already in place, and a freezer is on its
way (cool news indeed). Outside, the garden has had a glow-up too, with new shrubs,
colourful perennials and over 1,000 bulbs planted—expect a springtime showstopper. We have
also added some new benches, one that will accommodated users in wheelchairs. We’re also
part-way through installing a brand-new commercial kitchen, due to be finished early in the
new year. And we’re not stopping there: plans are already lined up to carry this great work
into 2026, with painters ready to give the main hall itself a fresh new look.
It’s been a truly buzzing year on the social front, with a packed programme of events that
were all enthusiastically supported (thank you for keeping the kettle permanently busy).
Burns Night was a sell-out, the much-anticipated Cabaret more than lived up to expectations,
and Easter Bingo proved that competitive instincts don’t take holidays. We fired up the grills
for a fabulous Father’s Day BBQ, enjoyed an exciting live music event, shortly followed by
our own Open Mic night, and welcomed well-attended evening talks from local speakers. The
Village Fete drew visitors from far and wide—and quite possibly set a hall record for cups of
tea served in one afternoon. Add in quizzes for the fiercely competitive and the cheerfully
clueless, our much-loved coffee and cake afternoons, a lively Christmas Bingo, and a
wonderfully supported Christmas Craft Fair for local makers: it’s fair to say the hall has
been full of laughter, conversation, and community spirit all year long.
Alongside our packed calendar of organised social events, the Parish Hall has continued to be
a popular choice for private hire, playing host to family parties, pop up restaurants, milestone
celebrations and last year, 3 glorious weddings!
It’s wonderful to see the hall so well used -clearly its not just a building, it is where the
community choose to come together to celebrate
We would like to extend a huge thank you to our wonderful local community for the
continued support throughout the year, including the local business community who have
gifted many items making these projects possible. From turning up in great numbers to our
events, to lending a hand setting them up and clearing away and helping with the ongoing
improvement works at the hall, your time, energy and enthusiasm make everything possible.
The village hall truly thrives because of the people who use it, support it and care about it –
and we couldn’t do it with you!
We’re already busy behind the scenes putting together a fun-filled programme of events for
the year ahead. Much-loved favourites will be making a welcome return, alongside some
exciting new ideas that we can’t wait to share with you. It’s shaping up to be another great
year at the village hall, with something for everyone – so keep an eye out for dates, dust off
your diary, and get ready to join in the fun!