Thank you to Patti B for this report on how the first meeting in the new Memorial went:
Well, the AGM last night gave many of us the first opportunity to see the new hall. The overwhelming feeling and comments from those attending were ones of sheer pleasure with the hall and all its details.
‘Amazing’, ’beautiful’,’ I never expected it to have all this’,’ we must have the best village hall in England’ were just a few of the comments.
People wandered around examining everything from the ‘state of the art’ kitchen to the toilets – six in total complete with a baby changing station.. There were many comments about the feeling of space in the lobby, ‘dramatic’ was a word heard more than once. The lobby, with its natural limestone floor, forms a natural centre with the hall, toilets, meeting room and kitchen leading from it.
The hall has a beautiful oak floor and is light, airy and luxurious. The high ceiling is lined with acoustic panelling and lit with bright, practical pendant lights. People commented on the quality and attention to detail.
‘I never expected such a high quality interior’ was one remark.
There are also wall lights for background lighting for entertainments. We were able to try the new chairs, which were very comfortable –no need to bring a cushion now and they can all be stacked on a trolley and wheeled away to a storage room when not needed. The new tables, which can also be locked together to form a stage, were also in use for the first time
The electric blackout blinds and high window openers in the meeting room were definitely a bit ‘toys for the boys’ with several men needing to satisfy their button pressing manias.
The totally stainless steel kitchen is large, impressive and professional with an extensive range of appliances such as a fridge, freezer, range cooker, dishwasher and warming ovens. One village resident was totally overwhelmed and said she wished it were hers.
The meeting room, which interconnects to the main hall, has folding glazed oak doors leading to the outside terrace. It is a more intimate room with a carpeted floor, which will have many future uses.
We were not able to go outside because work is still in progress but we could see the outside paving and landscaping and there was already talk of getting a barbecue to go out on the terrace.
It was evident from all the very positive responses that Parwich and its surrounding villages now have a new village hall to be proud of.
PARWICH.ORG 
Our new hall really is wonderful! Patti, I echo every word – we all came away last night feeling quite euphoric.
Lucky us, all of us in Parwich and the surrounding area and all credit and a big big thanks to all those who made it happen.
Who would have thought over 12 years ago when this process started we would eventually see such fantastic new village hall facilities?
In the 1990s lots of planning and fund raising took place by the then Memorial Hall Committee aimed at getting Millennium Lottery Funding. In the early 2000s the Village Action Group investigated the possibilities of a new hall on the edge of the village. Then leading up to and following the 2004 community vote the current project developed.
As Graham has pointed out, over the years not just a handful but maybe hundreds of members of our community have been involved in realising our new Memorial Hall.
It is impossible to achieve a result that everyone will be happy with, and no one will be happy with every detail of what has been created. However, everyone must agree we have a Hall that offers great opportunities to our community and will be the envy of rural communities anywhere.
The end of the Second World War saw a country with unprecedented debt, but with a will to create a better future. This led to the demolition of the Parwich Church Institute and its replacement with the first Memorial Hall. When we come to rededicate our new Hall to the memory of those who died in the two World Wars, it will also be a chance for us to thank all those who have contributed again to the future of our community and to emulate the enthusiasm that made the first Memorial Hall such a success.
As the first Memorial Hall created new opportunities, it is interesting to speculate what new activities and events will take advantage of this new Hall.
Congratulations for completing the lovely hall. It looks fantastic, so modern and fresh, I wish you all well and hope you hold lots of great community events here. Well done Parwich!
I agree that it really is wonderful and I am really looking forward to using it on Friday for our Mother and Toddler meeting. The kids will have a clean and safe space to play and the mum’s have lovely comfy chairs.
Sorry I couldn’t get to the meeting – the hall looks amazing!
I’m rather excited by the sight of the new chairs as well. Do my eyes deceive me, or are they…PADDED? If so, can’t wait for the next big screen event to roll ’round – won’t have to carry a cushion!
Yes Debbie – they ARE padded. They have been tried and tested by various committee members and sat on for two hours by unsuspecting dinner guests. Obviously one size never fits all but let’s hope cushions will not be needed!