East Woodhay Village Hall open for use after parish council's £95k refurbishment project

Following a £95,000 refurbishment project, East Woodhay Village Hall is now open for the public to use for meetings, events, celebrations or clubs.

East Woodhay Parish Council has been renovating the hall over the last few years with funds generated from recent development in the area.

The hall is now one of the largest in the area and can hold 250 people standing, 150 people in theatre-style seating or 100 people seated at tables.

East Woodhay Parish Council vice-chairman Paul Hurst said: “We’ve now made it a really good hall for people to use.

“It’s got audio equipment and presentation material. We’ve made the hall bigger by removing an old stage in there as well.

“We’re in a really good position to launch it so it can be used by the wider community in Newbury and across North Hampshire.”

The village hall has substantial catering facilities on site, good on-site parking, a separate meeting room which can hold up to 24 people, and is situated right next to a recreation ground with a play area and tennis courts.

It also has male and female toilets, a disabled toilet, and two ramped access doors.

East Woodhay Parish Council wants the hall to be used for a variety of different things.

It is already being used as a meeting place for a variety of different societies, sports clubs and exercise groups, including a local indoor bowls club, which, because of its size, Mr Hurst said: “Is absolutely ideal for.”

The council wants to promote it for events such as birthday celebrations and children’s parties and it also sees the arts potential of the hall, believing it could become an effective art or music exhibition space.

Those interested in hiring out the hall for either a one-off event or for regular use should contact clerk@eastwoodhay-pc.gov.uk

A recent and substantial amount of development in Woolton Hill generated a lot of Section 106 funds which allowed East Woodhay Parish Council to spend nearly £100,000 on the hall’s renovation.

Due to the impact development can have on the surrounding area, Section 106 agreements ensure developers invest in the local community, providing funds to support local infrastructure.

East Woodhay Village Hall was built in 1937 on land donated for the purpose of providing premises where the population of the village could meet, pursue interests, hobbies, groups, societies, events and parties.