After five years of hard work refurbishing the building, it is most gratifying to report that Newport Village Hall has never been busier.  Several new regular groups meet in the Hall, ranging from Pilates to Spanish language classes for Toddlers. The Hall has also been used for everything from a War Game Championship; a sale of Persian rugs to a Holistic Day. We have raised and spent roughly £250,000 on the refurbishment project but still need £47,500 to complete the work. All the future expenditure must come from external sources and several applications to grant makers are planned for this year.

The Hall Management Committee regrets that the regular Farmers Market had to be cancelled when the organiser decided to leave in May. It is also sad to record that having successfully run the Village Hall for 18 years, Diane Dedman decided to resign as Booking Clerk last year, together with her cleaning staff.  Jessica Bowen agreed to take on the role of Booking Secretary while Shirley Lee assumed all the cleaning duties. Working closely with our bookkeeper Elaine Edwards, the new team has been very successful in integrating a computerised system for bookings and invoicing.
 
One setback that occurred this year was over the renovation of the Bar Annexe.  Unexpectedly the roof decking needed to be replaced due to water damage and the wood fittings and furniture were found to be heavily infested with woodworm.  The result was that for the first time during the whole refurbishment programme, the project over ran its budget by £6,500 and finally cost nearly £17,000.  This setback will mean that the Trustees will not immediately have the £7,000 needed to re-fit the bar but will have to consider cheaper alternatives.

The 2006 Charities Act included proposals that would enable registered charities to convert to the status of Charitable Incorporated Organisation.  Following a lengthy consultation process, the Charity Commission recently published an outline of the new structure. These proposals will still need to be ratified by Parliament. The new corporate structure is aimed at small and medium sized charities and does initially appear to be appropriate for Newport Village Hall.  No decision on the future of the Hall’s status will be taken without extensive consultation with residents.