New Memorial Hall

The Beech Hill Memorial Hall has been providing an invaluable resource to our community for around 90 years, hosting a range of regular activities, family celebrations and meetings for community organisations. The hall comprises of one large room with kitchen and toilet facilities. There is parking for about half a dozen cars and a grassed area that can be used for outdoor events in the summer.

Whilst the hall continues to fulfil a vital role for the village, the ravages of time have taken their toll and what was state of the art in 1921 isn’t necessarily adequate for the twenty first century. The village is therefore committed to funding and building a new hall to meet the needs of generations to come. But in the meantime the existing hall provides a good, reasonably priced venue for meetings, celebrations and family occasions.

Responsibility for managing the hall and planning for its future development rests with a group of trustees – the Beech Hill Memorial Hall Management Committee, drawn from the locality.

Who are we/contacts?

The Beech Hill Memorial Hall Management Committee comprises nine local people with a commitment to ensuring the village continues to have a thriving community spirit with adequate facilities for this and future generations. Each committee member is a trustee of the Beech Hill Memorial Hall Trust (registered charity number 300116)

Where are we?

The memorial hall sits in the heart of the village, conveniently located five minutes from junction 11 of the M4. The villages of Grazeley, Mortimer, Spencers Wood and Stratfield Saye are all within about ten minutes of Beech Hill.

History

The Hall was originally built in 1920-1 (by the local community) as a Memorial to those who died during the Great War. During the 2nd world war the men of the Home Guard built the kitchen facility. Over the 87 years of its history it has been a focal point for parish council meetings, village meetings the Mother’s Union, Youth Club, and Horticultural Society meetings etc.

Our vision for the future

The Beech Hill Memorial Hall Management Committee is committed to maintaining the current building in a serviceable condition until the new hall is available. The hall should provide a location for events and functions which serve and enhance the social and cultural life of the local community, providing a focal point, accessible to all ages and across the social spectrum.

The management committee has given much consideration to what the new hall should look like and has agreed the following principles now embodied in the design:

News and Events

Fund-raising thermometer at One Hundred thousand pounds

BEECH HILL MEMORIAL HALL TAKES SHAPE
The new building to replace the old Beech Hill memorial hall moved closer to completion during the latter part of May when the timber frame was craned into position and the walls and roof timbers were fixed. The building sub committee comprising Graham Bell, Will Anstice and David Price has been working tirelessly to ensure all proceeds smoothly with minimal disruption to activities in the old hall and as little nuisance to neighbours as possible. With the external envelope of the building now in place, excitement is mounting in the village and all agree that the new hall will be a vast improvement on the previous one. There is, however more work to do and management committee Chair Charlie Carter is urging local residence to pull together to ensure the funds are available to complete the building to the standard we all want. “My management committee and a solid core of local people have worked miracles to get us this far, but we can’t afford to let up on the fundraising yet. I urge village residents, especially those who may not have been involved up to this point, to get in touch with myself or my committee members to find out how they maybe able to help, either through donations or by giving their time and skills to help us get the job finished.” On July 3^rd the major fundraising event of the year takes place – the hog roast and barbecue; and on September 26^th the sponsored family bike ride. More details are available on the village website – www.beechhillvillage.co.uk and click on ‘Our Memorial Hall’.

LATE SPRING GARDENS WALK, BEECH HILL JUNE 6TH
	Despite an unfriendly weather forecast, local gardening enthusiasts turned out in force to have a nose around their neighbour’s gardens and pick up tips on a range of horticultural topics from how to keep the weeds at bay to how to keep the pests off young plants. Six residents agreed to open their gardens and Graham Bell organised the event with each participant getting a guide to their walk around the village. Tea and cakes were provided by the memorial hall management committee in the hall and participants were treated to a guided tour of the new hall, taking shape behind the existing building. Although the new hall is still some way from completion, there was a buzz of excitement in the air as Beech Hill residents got their first sneak preview. Further fundraising events will be held throughout the year including a hog roast and barbecue on July 3rd and a sponsored family bike ride on Sept 26th. More details about forthcoming events and the ongoing Appeal for funds can be found on the village website – www.beechhillvillage.co.uk

Fundraising

Whilst it is our expectation that the hall should cover its own running costs through the generation of revenue from bookings, money will have to be raised for the building. This is a huge challenge, especially for such a small community. However much work has already been done and enough has been raised to get the initial work of planning underway. It is estimated that around £100k will be needed if we are to fulfil our objectives and have a new hall in place within 2 years, although timesacales may have to be reviewed in the light our success in fundraising. Whilst we hope to attract grants and corporate sponsorship, much will depend on the energy and participation of local people, giving generously and supporting fundraising events.

Booking

The hall provides a convenient venue for a variety of meetings and social events.

If you would like to book the hall please contact Amanda Walters on or 0118 9887191.

Gallery

Below are a few pictures of recent events at the Memorial Hall as it is now, to be followed in due course with pictures showing the progress of the building of the new Memorial Hall.

Tell us What you think..

Let the Committee and the rest of the village know what you think by posting your comments on the Discussion Board

Frequently asked questions

Press Releases and Newsletters

Press Release

BEECH HILL MOVES A GIANT LEAP CLOSER TO GETTING NEW MEMORIAL HALL
Residents of Beech Hill are celebrating the achievement of a vital stage in their plans to replace their dilapidated village hall, built just after the Great War, with a state of the art new building. A two year fundraising effort has now raised £100k from local events and grants enabling building work to begin. Despite the appalling ground conditions contractors started work on the foundations in January and it is expected that the external envelope will be in place by May.

The existing building remains in use throughout the construction of the new hall which will be completed later this year when a foundation stone will be laid. However the fundraising effort is continuing and the management committee will again this year be organising a programme of events to ensure the new hall can be properly equipped to meet the needs of the local community.

Committee Chairman Charlie Carter, who in the later part of 2009 undertook a sponsored weight loss raising a staggering £9k towards the rebuilding fund, said "My committee and local people have pulled together tremendously well to get us this far. In the last year this project has really taken off and within weeks we'll see the new hall beginning to take shape. This is an historic moment for Beech Hill and we are all thrilled to have got this far. We fully expect the structure to be largely completed by summer 2010 but we still need funds to ensure we get the internal amenities we need."

If you are interested in becoming involved with the Beech Hill memorial hall you can find more information on the village web site www.beechhillvillage.co.uk and click on 'Our Memorial Hall'.

Chair	Charlie Carter
Vice chair and Treasurer	Graham Bell
Secretary	Sarah Potter
Bookings secretary	Amanda Walters	0118 9887191
Communications	Robert Newman	0118 9886798
Building advisor	Will Anstice
Committee member	David Price
Committee member	Sam Moore
Committee member	John Wait
Committee Member	Sharon Samuel
Committee Member	Ed Willink

Q.	Will there be a period of time when the village has to manage without a hall whilst the new hall is being constructed?
A.	With the designs we have in mind it should be possible to complete the new building before we demolish the old. It is anticipated that the new hall will be located on a different part of the plot from the old and this will therefore allow us to keep the existing hall open during the construction phase.
Q.	In what sense will the new hall still be a memorial hall?
A.	The desire of the community to keep faith with the memorial hall as a memorial to the sacrifices made by Beech Hill people during the two world wars will be met by retaining the name and present location. The memorial plaques and other artefacts will of course be transferred into the new hall and be given prominence.
Q.	Will greater usage of the new hall mean more disturbance to the people living nearby
A.	Whilst it is hoped that the new facilities provided by a new hall will attract more bookings and better usage, the management committee will ensure there are adequate controls in place to maintain the peaceful character of the neighbourhood.
Q.	What can my family and I do to help?
A.	Support the fundraising events both by attending (with friends and relatives) and offering to help orgainise. If you have ideas for events and fundraising initiatives do contact any member of the management committee. If you work for a company that you think maybe interested in providing a donation or sponsorship, contact any member of the management committee.
Q.	When are we aiming to have raised the money?
A.	We have already raised enough money to commence the planning process and preliminary scoping tasks. We anticipate that the early stages of the building work, putting in foundations etc, could commence quite quickly if our fundraising efforts this year are successful. But the later phases of the project will only be able to proceed as further money is raised. If we attract significant corporate sponsorship and the local fundraising effort is stepped up, the building could be complete within two years.

Introduction