Agenda item

The Committee received a presentation from Russell Hayes, Trustee of Bisley Village Hall.

Bisley Village Hall was a former school chapel, which had been donated for community use in 1959 and was then supplemented by the addition of an extension in 1982. The management committee comprised of 3 elected members and up to 7 members representing the organisations which used the hall. The aim of the hall was ‘to provide a community facility, in good working order, for use of as wide a range of local groups as possible’.

The hall offered a large and medium sized hall; with a 200 and 60 capacity respectively. A kitchen allowed the hosting of a community café, parties and events. The community café also facilitated an opportunity to keep an eye of the wellbeing of residents, as café users were often elderly and vulnerable. The community café had raised funds for a defibrillator at the hall and organisers also kept in touch with attendees via a phone call every week when the café was closed because of the pandemic.

The hall hosted a range of users, such as exercise classes, craft and music groups, as well as groups such as spring tots, messy church and a new marital arts group.

The Strawberry Fair, which had run since 1993 and had raised a total of £100,000 since its inception, was the hall’s major fundraiser. During the years of the pandemic, the hall’s income plummeted and income from regular hall users had not yet recovered to 2019/20 levels. During the years of the pandemic ad-hoc hall bookings increased dramatically and grant funding, for example from the Council-run charity enabling fund, had meant the hall was able to break even without sacrificing scheduled major projects.

The 3 major risks to the hall were the fabric of the hall, the loss of skills and enthusiasm of the trustees, and the loss of the users of the hall and the hall’s positive relationship with the community. The vulnerability of the latter was highlighted by the loss of 2 major users: LESTA dance school and Bisley pre-school during the pandemic.

Looking to the future, the hall’s trustees were prioritising work, such as the replacement of windows at the stage end of the main hall, and the treatment of damp which had been identified by a damp survey earlier in the year. Energy efficiency measures were also being prioritised.

Whilst the village hall held reservations in respect of the long term resilience of its trustees and felt new personnel would provide a new perspective, many village halls would be envious of the hall’s trustee base. An absence of trustees for community centres across the borough was widespread. It was agreed by the Committee that a broader editorial piece around village halls and volunteering opportunities and trusteeships could be included in Heathscene.

Members also noted that issues faced by Bisley Village Hall were identitical to the issues which were being experienced in the other borough wards; and that engagement with Voluntary Support North Surrey maybe helpful in both recruitment and development of volunteers and trustees.

The Committee thanked Russell for his presentation and his attendance.