The week commencing 13th January 2014 saw an historic moment commemorated in the history of the village hall.
Initially built as the result of a sum of money bequeathed from the Beech family in 1913 as a Reading Room the halls first meeting took place this week in 1914.
That first meeting saw Lt Col Beech elected as President whilst other posts were also filled and a decision made to have the official opening of the hall on 31st January 1914.
The opening of the hall was to be performed by Miss Beech with refreshments provided after, along with an evening ‘social’. In addition a silver presentation key to perform the opening was to be purchased.
This week saw the hall’s current committee members meeting to commemorate the anniversary of that first ever meeting.
Said Chair Martyn Hordern ‘ we are fortunate to have that first meeting recorded in the original meeting book and wanted to celebrate a hundred years of an active committee meeting and running the hall’
He added ‘we will be commemorating the hall’s centenary of use over the year and looking forward to the hall’s continued use’
As now there was an active involvement in the halls affairs by St Werburgh’s Church with the Rev Mayne one of the original trustees.
2014 will also see the village commemorating the start of the 1914-18 war. Two of the original trustees Lt Col Beech and William Aubrey Bowers died whilst on war service or as the result of wounds received. Both are commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.
The hall is available to hire throughout the year for all manner of events and already holds a twice weekly mobile Post Office, weekly Guides group, a Mothers and Toddlers group, plus Yoga and Slimming World sessions.
Anyone interested in hiring the hall at very competitive rates are asked to contact the committee via this website.
In addition the committee is always looking out for new members with time to give to assist in the running of the hall, no matter how small. If interested please email the secretary on sue@kingsleyvillagehall.org.uk
Pictured are some of the present day committee in the hall commemorating that first ever committee meeting.