The September weather was perfect for the landmark official opening of the new Memorial Hall. The sun shone down, setting the facility off perfectly as people began to arrive for the opening ceremony.
Click on ‘Continue Reading’ for an account of the event.
Proceedings kicked off with Mike Gerard-Pearse who provided a welcome and ran through the events of the last twelve (!) years that have led to the opening of the new building.
Representatives from the 2nd Batallion Mercian Regiment were present, including Lieutenant Colonel K Seddon MBE BEM, who provided some of the history of the Mercian Regiment and explained the village’s association with the Sherwood Forresters. He paid tribute to a number of people from Parwich who had fallen in service.
We were particularly pleased to have with us the regimental mascot, looked after by two handlers from the Mercian Regiment.
Councillor Simon Spencer made a short presentation outlining the role the local community and the County Council had played in supporting the project. He paid tribute to the many Parwichians who had played a part in making the hall a reality. He explained that he had had a high level of confidence that the project would reach a successful end due to the reputation of Parwich folk.
Mrs Rosemary Shields and Mr Robert Shields DL then cut the ribbon that opened the Shields meeting room.
Children from Parwich Primary School read us a beautiful acrostic poem which explained their views of the Hall. The first letter of each line cleverly spelt out ‘M-E-M-O-R-I-A-L H-A-L-L’.
The Reverend Andy Larkin lead those present in a prayer to bless the new building.
Formal proceedings ended with the cutting of the ribbon by the youngest child in Parwich and by the oldest child at Parwich Primary School.
The event was concluded with cream teas prepared by hard-working Parwich volunteers.
Thank you to all who contributed to the event. It was a lovely afternoon and did the Memorial Hall full justice. It is the most amazing achievement to have successfully built such an impressive building in our small village. We’re looking forward to decades of great things happening under its roof.
PARWICH.ORG 
A fantastic afternoon, thank you to everyone who organised it and came along.
Well done to the organising committee, it was a lovely event. The cakes were very tasty, Izzy sampled most of them and even Sam tasted some. Well done to the children from the school, never easy to stand up in front of so many people.
I agree with Jane and Gill – the day was pitched just right, and we were very lucky with the weather which allowed the beautiful new Hall to be shown and used at its best. The opening ceremony was formal enough to be appropriate for the occasion, but not so highbrow as to be exclusive. The kids were great, and Private Derby probably the best behaved ram I ever saw. – Great turn out from the Village too – well in excess of 100 – well done to Val and Sandra!