Background

The Village Hall, originally known as the Parish Hall, was built in 1936 for the benefit of the Village on land owned by the Church, by Elizabeth Hansford in memory of her husband Herbert.

Under a Lease and Trust Deed between The Salisbury Diocesan Board of Finance (represented by the Parochial Church Council) and The Trustees of Shipton Gorge Village Hall, the hall is held in trust for the use of the inhabitants of Shipton Gorge for education, recreation and leisure-time occupation. This arrangement continues until 31st December 2083.

The Trust is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the hall and for payment of all outgoings due on the hall. It raises income to cover these costs via hire charges (see below), however the Lessor and the Council reserved the right to occupy and use the premises every Sunday in each year without payment except for heating and lighting.

Trustees
The Trustees are responsible to the Lessor for the maintenance, repair, upkeep and insurance of the Village Hall along with the payment of the yearly rent and any rates, taxes, assessments and outgoings payable by law. A declaration to this effect is signed by each Trustee.

The Trustees manage the affairs of the village hall through a committee structure defined in the Trust Deed. The Committee consists of five elected members, three representative members and up to two co-opted members.

The present Trustees are:
Chairman: Richard Hewlett
Treasurer: Julie Bartrum-Lang
Bookings Manager: Graham Garner
Other Trustees: Kate Chomacki, Diane James, James Webster, Sally Parker

Organisations having representative on the Committee are:
The Parochial Church Council (James Webster)
The Village Society (Sally Parker)
The Parish Council (Diane James)

The Trustees hold 4 or 5 business meetings each year, together with an AGM (which normally takes place in April), and these are advertised on noticeboards around the village. Everyone is welcome to attend. Minutes from these meetings (and details of Trustees in attendance) can be accessed below. 

The Hall
The Hall is a detached single storey rendered building with a main hall 6m. x 12m., a large kitchen, toilets, lobby and two storage rooms. Seating for up to 70 persons, foldaway tables and a stage are available for use.

A diverse group of local organisations currently make use of the village hall including Shipton Gorge Table Tennis Club; Shipton Gorge Village Society; Shipton Gorge Heritage Ltd; Shipton Gorge Parish Council; New Inn Support Ltd; Bride Valley Ladies Choir; two dance groups; a dog training class; and a fitness class. The hall is also used for the village show and fete, church fund raising events and various social get-togethers. In addition, the hall trustees stage Artsreach productions and educational talks for fund-raising purposes.

Hire Charges 2024
Hire charges will continue to be applied at the 2023 rate for the first three months of 2024. These may be reviewed once the hall's energy tariff for the current year is known.

Bookings
Please contact Graham Garner (01308 897357; g.garner111@btinternet.com) if you would like to make a booking. All people wishing to hire the hall should familiarise themselves with these documents: 

Hall Hire Rates  |  Hall Hire Conditions and Safeguarding Policy  |  Hall Fire Safety Documentation

Hirers wanting to provide food for an event at the hall should familiarise themselves with advice from the Food Standards Agency.

The proposal to provide Access For All to the village hall has culminated in the accompanying design which has been selected by hall trustees.
The plans can be viewed here.

MEETING MINUTES

2024
Committee meeting 18th January 2024
Annual General Meeting 2024 (to follow)
Committee Meeting 28th March 2024 (to follow)

2023
Committee Meeting 26th January 2023
Annual General Meeting 2023
Committee Meeting 30th March 2023
Committee Meeting 12th April 2023
Committee Meeting 25th May 2023
Committee Meeting 12th July 2023
Committee Meeting 11th October 2023
Committee Meeting 30th November 2023

 2022
Annual Report for the year ending 31st December 2022
Committee Meeting 24th November 2022
Committee Meeting 29th September 2022
Committee Meeting 21st July 2022
Committee Meeting 18th May 2022
Committee Meeting 21st April 2022
Annual General Meeting 2022
Committee Meeting 16th February 2022

2021
Annual Report for the year ending 31st December 2021
Committee Meeting 17th November 2021
Committee Meeting 15th September 2021
Committee Meeting 30th June 2021
Annual General Meeting 2021
Trustee Briefing April 2021
Hire charges (video call) February 2021
Trustee Briefing January 2021

2020
Annual Report for year ending 31st December 2020
Trustee Briefing October 2020
Committee Meeting 5th August 2020
Trustee Briefing April 2020
Annual General Meeting briefing 2020
Committee Meeting 29th January 2020