New Englefield Village Hall treasurer celebrates these ‘beacons of community life’

National Village Hall Week (March 18-24) is the perfect occasion to celebrate these beacons of community life, says the new treasurer of Englefield Village Hall (EVH).

Olivia Macey, raised in rural Suffolk, is head of finance at Trainline.

But in her spare time, she oversees the day-to-day cash management of EVH.

She supports hall coordinator Lynn Dennison with managing bookings, payments, budgeting and reporting and attends regular meetings with trustees.

Speaking about her role, she said: “I’ve been on the lookout for some time to give something back to the community using my skillset.

“The village hall provides a base catering for all sorts of interests.

“We currently have regular bookings for a huge variety of interests, including a local bridge club, children’s messy play, garden club, meditation class, kids’ yoga, baby massage and an adult’s arts and crafts class.

“We’ve been very lucky word has spread quite organically in the relatively short time it [the hall] has been open.

“We encourage regular repeat bookings which promote community spirit.”

A ‘Dinner and Bingo’ charity night is also being organised by the local community.

And another organisation that regularly uses the hall is the Five A Day Market Garden not-for-profit therapy gardening charity.

The charity’s service development manager, Ali Luke, said: “Five A Day Market Garden has been able to use the excellent facilities of Englefield Village Hall.

“During the colder months, it has been the perfect location to allow our elderly clients of the weekly Thyme Together Group to continue to meet indoors, where the welcoming ambience has enabled all kinds of winter craft and other interesting activities to take place.

“The hall is also frequently used for trustee and planning meetings. We really appreciate the location, size and facilities it offers.”

EVH underwent a full refurbishment in 2020-2021 and can accommodate up to 80 people.

Its facilities include a new kitchen, new toilets, underfloor heating and a superfast broadband connection.