The AGM took place on Friday 14th nov.
We stood in silence for those who had passed in the last year, Bryan Fisher, John Moseley, Ron Crawford, Lynn Shute ,Jeff Jordan, Muriel Lanman and Ann Dicken.
Chairmans Report for 2025
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We are four years on from our newly refurbished village hall at St Michaels. We have succeeded in providing a number of weekly/monthly activities as well as private hirers, keeping the house in order and all that goes with keeping the hub of the village bubbling along.
It has been another busy year and again each day has a task to be attended to. The committee has been committed in their responsibilities to the hall as well as helping one another out and producing an excellent team! The main areas of responsibility are general house maintenance, outside maintenance, catering and kitchen, bar ,advertising, safeguarding, grant applications, bookings as well as secretarial and treasury roles.
These days all committee members are trustees to the village hall and we are all answerable to the charity commission regulations and requirements. SO your committee are not just hard working members of the community but most responsible, dedicated people.
We are sad to be loosing Richard Connolly in the New Year, he has been a most conscientious treasurer, taking on many additional tasks as well as seeing to annual checks on automatic doors, roller shutters and continually checking on insurances and legal matters. We wish Richard and Jacky a most happy and successful adventure, they have chosen near Margaret river ,Australia.
We are sorry to be loosing Gary Kendall too and hope to see him and Sam when ever they can.
We therefore welcome help from anyone who is able to give time to future events helping run the bar all kinds of help ,so joining the Friends of St Michaels what’s app group is a great help. Of course joining the committee is another option! Thankyou!!
We continue to welcome newcomers to the village, we hope they can join in activities and events when they can.
It is a year since the college of St Michael Abbey was brought! An amazing amount of internal and external work has been in progress producing some remarkable changes in a very short time! Now opened they are keen to engage with the community wherever possible.
We look forward to the college growing steadily in the next 12 months.
Our meeting with other halls has continued, we recently met at Knighton on Teme, sharing good practice and ideas with the help of Nat West Bank and community first. We enjoyed excellent hospitality also!
Our thanks go out to several individuals for help and keeping things going! To Ros Baylis for help with arranging the coffee morning rota and mornings. Thankyou to all those who help run a coffee morning and provide delicious cakes and goodies. Our one charity event, Macmillan raised £518 this year which was excellent.
To Adrian Albert for preparing and cooking a big Breakfast twice this year and the B B Q also. To John Reilly and Peter Crownshaw for ably constructing the staging when it is needed.
To extra bar staff volunteers for helping run the bar and kindly clearing up after a session.
To Margaret Rogers for providing extra car park spaces when needed and to Vernon, Adrian, Simon, Gary, Geoff and Andy for strimming the pond area. To Julia for help with the planters, Paul Kemp for being on the spot for photos. To Ann Wallace for her wonderful and prompt posters and tickets for events. To Mark, Julie Cook, Julie Prince who keep us updated with the sword, website and social media. To Sandra Budge for her help with rambles and walks, our second walk book is now out and to Ann Lewis for her weekly cleaning.
Events and hirers continue to flourish, though we have lost a creative writing group and pilates. Zumba, however have an extra class. Our hall hire charges have recently been reviewed and hiring charges will be £11.50 per hour for weekly hire. £15.50 for one off hiring and £34.50 per session.
We have maintained a monthly event programme which have been supported well.(though still my biggest nightmare when selling tickets)
After a busy festive time, January began with a warming energetic beetle drive. A big breakfast in both February and November, skittles in March, Live and Local in April, Fashion show and Grand National in May ,Open gardens in June ,BBQ in July, ever popular Quiz in September, excellent artists in October at the Variety night. The Ceidhl, light fest and Xmas dinner to come!
The rambles have been interesting and fun, now held at each season. Most are taken from the walk books, available in the foyer.
We continue to use Tenbury transport bus for various outings, we used the bus for a xmas shopping trip to Monmouth in Nov and then again for a visit to the Ballet at the Birmingham Hippodrome.
There was a weekend loft clearance project in early Dec when after many hours of clearance, the new insulation was laid, thus helping us with a further project for solar panel insulation.
We plan a visit to other halls re; this project and collecting information re grants.
We also plan the purchase of a new bar fridge and a laptop computer which will be compliant with the Epsom we already have.
Regularly small tasks take place, general maintenance, extra lighting internal and external .The defribulator battery and pads have been replaced.
Both Kite(our good neighbourhood scheme) and village affairs have now come under the umbrella of the village hall, both have ring fenced accountancy.
The pond area continues well and a further clearance of weeds and growth to be removed in early new year. The telephone box has been repainted and is ready for a trial of a “Little Library” in the next couple of months. This will be taken on by two volunteers who we look forward to hearing from. The soldier and the poppies(planted by the children of mums and tots, is a significant attraction.
A huge thank you to Geoff, Pat, Cherry, Robin, Gary, Richard, Jane and Simon, there is so much you don’t see behind the scenes, these people are hard working and most diligent!
A final plea from me! It is a good amenity, our hall, run well! Please use it when you can, suggestions are always welcome! We don’t want to loose it so use it! We mustn’t be complacent when people praise it! We need always to be on the lookout for new ideas! The reason it works at present is because of PEOPLE, Thankyou I hope I have served you well as Chair for 2025.
Ros Plested