An update on the Village Hall from the Chairman, Neal Courtney.
Are you counting the days until Christmas and the chance to catch up with friends and family at the end of the year? Perhaps already thinking about what to do with children or grandchildren in the anti-climax of January? So maybe the Village Hall’s Dick Whittington pantomime could be a fun afternoon to plan for? Tickets are on sale now, so pop the date in your diary and come along – Sunday 11th January.
We switched on the Chieveley Village Christmas Tree lights at the end of November and, if you were able to come to our Christmas market that day, I do hope that you found a few novel and useful presents. You may also have seen a hive of activity the last two Saturday mornings with volunteers busy digging holes in the grass bank bordering the road whilst the rain came down – all so we have a fabulous display of daffodils in the Spring. My thanks on behalf of the committee for all the hard work of the volunteers – it is much appreciated and what makes our village a special place to live in.
Whilst on the subject of the grounds, we have an apology to all hall users that the overflow car park is once more reminiscent of a ploughed field rather than a car parking area. As part of our on-going Vision 2050 Project we have included improving this area however, the planning application process is taking longer than we anticipated, so please bear with us.
Still talking about Vision 2050 fund-raising, the Chieveley firework display was a fantastic success, and this, with other donations means that we should have the funds to complete more works from our phase 2 list in the summer of 2026. Many thanks to the organisers and the army of volunteers who give up their time every year to ensure this event is such a success.
As I mentioned in November, it is my intention to highlight an activity taking place at the hall every month in this news piece, and for December this focus is on Laura’s art classes. These are aimed at 5-11 year olds, where they have the freedom to explore new ideas and techniques in a relaxed class of imagination and creativity. This exploring of colours, textures, line, form and shape, helps to promote healthy child development. Lessons are every Monday 4pm-5pm at the hall so for more details drop an email to Laura at: smartartclub@icloud.com or just come along.
Then on January 23rd we should see the start of the new Vitality & Nutrition sessions offering practical and friendly tips and recipe ideas designed to help vitality, nutrition, sleeping and simply eating well. The sessions are led by Paolo, who is an HCPC registered dietician. To book contact him on: 07883 390212 or by email: paolo.p.lamperelli@gmail.com.
For full details of these and many other exciting activities and events at your village hall see: www.chieveleyvillagehall.org.
That’s all for now but as always, if you have any questions regarding the hall or would like to occasionally lend a hand as a volunteer, then please get in touch with Rosalind - our Bookings Manager, contact details on our website.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas,
Neal Courtney
Chairman Chieveley Recreational Centre