2024 saw a significant change in the Village Hall Management Committee when two of our long-standing members retired. Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation were expressed for their many years of hard work and dedication, and we wish them well for the future.
We were fortunate to have 2 new members join us and together with our new Parish Council representative we continue to be committed to the care and maintenance of this important venue on behalf of the Village.
As always, the Village Hall proves to be a popular venue and is used during the week for a wide variety of activities covering all ages from babies and toddlers up to the more senior members of the community. Every weekday afternoon it is used by an afterschool care group which provides a valuable service for working parents who can be confident that their children are happy and being cared for in a safe environment.
The weekends are also busy with private social events and children’s parties. September 2024 was the first occasion that the Village Hall was used as a base for Shenstone Fun Run which proved to be a huge success.
The installation of solar panels was completed during the previous year and during 2024 we have started to see the results of this major project. It is proving to be of substantial benefit in reducing the high cost of electricity and has a knock-on effect of helping to prevent the need to increase the hire charges.
In addition to the general care and maintenance of the venue, the main on-going project is refurbishment of the stage. We are grateful to the Parish Council for the grant already awarded towards this project and an application has also been made for a National Community Lottery Grant. Refurbishment of the whole stage is planned to include new curtains. It is hoped that this will be completed towards the end of 2025.