As we start a new year, it’s time for the Trustees and ACG to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported our work at the Village Hall over the last twelve months. It’s been quite a rollercoaster from when we started the brick campaign in January, but we’ve raised an incredible £21,000+ and rounded things off with a fantastic NYE party! Much of that money has been spent, but the Hall is starting to look like its best self again.
We’ve had some fantastic grant support (most recently in December, with £2000 from the Twemlows Community Fund and £500 from Worfield & Rudge Parish Council) and more in the pipeline, but we certainly couldn’t have done it without the generosity of the people of Ackleton and the wider community. The floor replacement is imminent and repairs to the kitchen roof will follow – that’s £17,000+ worth of work. So if you want to grab one of the remaining 22 tickets for the Ackleton Village hall 200, now’s the time to do it!
We’re delighted to announce that the Diocese has now removed the faculty jurisdiction covering the building, which has given us the freedom to continue with planned work. Now that this milestone has been reached, two of our trustees, Chairman Alan Hawley and Gary Timmins, have resigned their posts. We thank them for all their work over the last eighteen months and look forward to seeing them at some of our events as guests. The Trustees will, for the time being, continue as a body of three and we welcome Alex Molloy to our number. Alex’s knowledge of the world of construction will be invaluable as well as the fact that he will considerably reduce the average age of the Trustees!
We continue to be guided by our dedicated volunteers: legal adviser Steven Corfield, financial consultant Bill Baker, and new addition Fran Caruana, who will be the clerk for our meetings. And we now also have a website, ackletonvillagehall.co.uk, helping us bring the charity firmly into the 21st century. On that note, we’ll leave you with the Village Hall’s 2025 in numbers:
…and a partridge in a pear tree! We wish you a happy, healthy 2026 and look forward to seeing you at our events this year.
Sincerely,
Vicky Grimsdale, Brendand Drummond, and Alex Molloy
Ackleton Village Hall Trustees