History
Our hall is situated in a central location in our village and was constructed after the Second World War. It officially opened in 1951. The building is a very important part of village life and has been widely used over the years for many village occasions including harvest suppers, family celebrations, exercise classes, Parish Council and church meetings and weekly gatherings of the Women's Institute. It is also used daily by a local pre-school (Chearsley and Haddenham Under Fives).
We would be delighted to post any photos from the opening ceremony or celebrations in the early years of the hall’s life, please get in touch if you have some!
Facilities at the Hall
Our hall has a small car park, a grass outdoor area and a playground for younger children. Inside, our main hall has a fully equipped kitchen, toilet facilities (including a disabled toilet) and a small stage area. The hall is able to accommodate 80 people seated with tables and chairs and up to 100 people sitting theatre style.
Bookings
Please contact Ruth Holland on 01844 208343 if you would like to book the hall. Rates are: £10 per hour (commercial rates are £15 per hour) and £60 per day (morning and afternoon). Users will need to pay a £50 deposit when booking.
Re-building the Hall
In the last few years, whilst still used widely by villagers and the pre-school and diligently maintained by the Chearsley Village Hall Committee, unfortunately the original construction materials mean that the fabric of the building is nearing the end of its lifespan, configuration of the hall could be better and the insulation, heating and electrics are inadequate and expensive to run.
In the 2014 Chearsley Village Plan, 72% of respondents agreed that the hall needs improvement and that the current facilities were inadequate. In addition, the results of a survey carried out amongst villagers also in 2014 specifically on the village hall, demonstrated that 83% of respondents agreed that the hall needs updating.
As a result, the Village Hall Committee commissioned a feasibility study from local firm PCMS which confirmed some of the key issues with the building and provided an estimate of costs for a new hall. This report is available to download here. Following on from this report, Thame based architect Lynn Palmer was then commissioned by the Committee to develop a design concept that would incorporate a timber frame and be fully accessible for all members of the community in addition to being more cost effective and energy efficient to run. This design concept is available to view here (updated 09-02-16) and a short video of how the new hall might look is available to view at Dropbox or downloaded from here (702MB).
A meeting to discuss the future of the hall will be called in the New Year, however in advance of this meeting, please feel free to submit any comments or views you may have about the design to Antonia Stratford (Tel: 01844 208469 or email: antoniacarrlocke@hotmail.com)
The vision of the Village Hall Committee is that Chearsley needs a new, more environmentally friendly, cost effective, attractive and fully accessible community space that can be used by all members of the community (and not just a few groups). A new hall will be able to provide more activities and services for the village than it does now (e.g. youth club, badminton, cinema club, bridge, Wi-Fi, meeting rooms for homeworkers) and be available to hire for functions and events for Chearsley residents and surrounding villages.
A copy of the Project Initiation Document which fully outlines the aims and objectives and approximate budget of a new hall will be available to download here shortly.
Help Raise Funds for the New Hall
You can raise money for the new Chearsley Village Hall, just by shopping on-line with http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/chearsleyvh There are no catches and it's completely free and simple to use.
You can shop online via easyfundraising.org.uk with over 2,700 well known retailers like Amazon, Argos, M&S, eBay (and many more!) and whenever you buy something online, the retailer makes a donation to your chosen good cause. To make it easier, you can install the easy fundraising toolbar which will remind you whenever a site you visit is part of the scheme and funds can be raised.
It’s as simple as that. No extra work, no extra cost and you will raise much needed funds.
Next Steps
A village meeting will be called in the New Year at which all residents over the age of 18 will be invited to cast their vote (by a show of hands) on the future of the new hall. However, children and teenagers are also warmly welcomed to submit their views! A copy of the proposed design will also be placed on the village notice board, shop and pub.
Chearsley Village Hall
Winchendon Road, Chearsley
Buckinghamshire HP18 0DP
