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Village Hall update 

As you will know, and appreciate, since March 2020 village halls have not been permitted to open due to Covid 19. New guidance from Welsh Government has recently been issued and Trustees have worked with Environment Health this week to review our options.

Some of our neighbouring halls have decided to close until January and others are working hard to meet the new requirements. We were keen to allow Busy Bodies to continue to support families who rely on its services so much - the requirements needed, however, to reopen are many and complicated.
 
Having taken Environmental Health direction and support we have decided we will not take any bookings for the hall until after 31 December 2020 but we can allow Busy Bodies to take over the whole site so the playgroup can re-open in September. 
 
Therefore, although regrettably, we will be closing the site next Thursday so we can give everything a good clean before Busy Bodies start to prepare for their opening.

Trustees have always welcomed community use of the whole site and have willingly allowed parking for the nearby pub, church and walkers. Sadly, this will have to cease until December when hopefully we can review it based on new guidance then. 
Debbie at the Lion is fully understanding of our predicament and supports our decision – we had hoped to work with her to allow her to use the hall at weekends but this will sadly no longer be possible.

We are however delighted that Busy Bodies will have access to their own ‘bubble’ where they will reopen in September with their own safeguarding and Covid 19 protection arrangements in place. 

On better news we are delighted to have been able to complete long overdue painting works during recent weeks. The hall has been completed repainted inside and we have had all the windows repaired and painted too. The building is looking smart!

We currently are awaiting planning permission for new signage and plan to have a community area which will be fenced in with seating and information boards and bike racks ready for when we can reopen.

Maintaining safety is of course our first priority.

Guaranteeing the future of Trellech Village Hall

The Busy Bodies playgroup has been a well respected and valued tenant of the Trellech Village Hall for many years, but as of  September 2020 they may be moving to a purpose-built facility within the Trellech Primary School grounds. The Trustees will be sad to see them go but agree that a modern, dedicated facility will be beneficial to children and staff and are delighted the council have secured funding to make it happen. 
Check out our blog post of the event
  • What's our view?

    Busy Bodies’ move to better premises is not only to their advantage but also allows the hall to be used for a wider range of social, educational and commercial activities.

  • What plans do you have when Busy Bodies leave?

    The Trustees have been considering options for its wider use for some months: outline plans have been drafted for an extension to the hall and suggestions have been sought within the community.

  • What should we do?

    In order to maximise community engagement and confirm the best course of action for the future, the trustees will be holding several informal open sessions at the hall to share their thoughts so far and to listen to the views of others.


    These drop in sessions are planned for:

    Thursday 10th October between 6.30pm and 9pm

    Friday 11th October between 2pm and 5pm (upstairs in hall)

    Saturday 12th October between 10am and 12pm


    It is hoped that any residents, hirers or future hirers will come along to look at the draft plans which include larger, more fit for purpose facilities which could facilitate lifelong learning classes, entertainment, sports and social activities. There are also potential plans to enhance the grounds with an information centre, play area and bike racks. 


    The Trellech Village Hall is part of a registered charity (Babington EducationalTrust) and as such the Trustees have a formal obligation to manage the assets of the trust in line with Charity Commission guidelines and UK law. The Trust includes the hall building and as such, revenues must cover its running costs as well as protecting the fabric of the building for years ahead. If the hall isn’t used it might have to be closed. Such a course of action is not desired by the trustees but will be the unfortunate outcome if realistic and financially sound use of the facilities cannot be identified. 


    The Trustees look forward to hearing the views of those in the local and extended community. We have launched a new website and will also post a presentation on our recent work for those who cannot get to one of the drop in sessions.

Every penny counts

Do you shop using Amazon? Did you know that Amazon support charities such as our village hub in Trellech?

Amazon are now donating 0.5% of any purchases made by supporters of the village hub. It costs you nothing extra but for every purchase you make The Babington Educational Trust will get a donation.

Instead of going to the main Amazon site go to https://smile.amazon.co.uk

You will find the usual full range of goods and they are exactly the same price as your normal site. For chosen charity please select Trellech Babington Educational Trust

After that each purchase will automatically generate a donation. 0.5% may not seem a lot but if everyone using Amazon in the village was registered we would receive a good number of quarterly donations.

Thank you in anticipation!