THE old green portacabin that was the Berryfield community’s meeting space at Berryfield Park has been demolished as the community gets ready to make use of the new modern village hall that was built earlier this year.
The new village hall, located on Telford Drive in the new Bowood View housing development, is expected to open in the coming months and is a bigger space for groups in the community to meet.
The hall is decorated with a spiralling mural to reflect the shape of the canal, which is hoped will at some future point come through the village, and is dotted with symbols, drawings and images of wildlife relevant to the area that was created by UK artist Kerry Lemon and children from the Aloeric school.
Melksham Without Parish councillor and chair of the old village hall, Richard Wood, said, “The old hall exceeded its lifetime and when the opportunity came to build a new space, the old space became redundant. The old hall was tiny and didn’t lend itself to many modern uses of a hall but it had a great life!”
MWPC clerk Teresa Strange said, “The portacabin as the meeting hall had been in place since 2005 and had lots of use over the years. Particular highlights are the homework club that ran from there, and lots of art and craft activities for the children for all the main events in the year, with Easter Egg hunts, Halloween crafts and always a visit from the man in the red suit at Christmas! The old hall hosted a regular art group and craft group and they are now meeting at the new hall and enjoying the space.”
Speaking about the new hall and when it will be open to the community Teresa said, “The portacabin for the village to meet was always a temporary building until a more permanent hall could be sourced and that new hall has been built, with a new management committee in place. It will be available for booking by local residents and community groups and organisations in February, once the new charitable trust is in place and all the legal formalities have been undertaken to pass it on to the community from the parish council.
“It’s a fantastic new facility for the local residents and a light, airy building with solar panel and air source heat pumps, all the latest technology and it will be a lot warmer than the old hall; which still had its charm although it was a bit small and drafty.”
Thanking those who helped create the village’s first meeting space in the portacabin Teresa said, “Thanks go to Steve Petty who sourced the second hand portacabin from Ebay that became the old village hall, and for far more many years than anyone imagined; without his energy and enthusiasm it wouldn’t have happened. Also to Gill Arbery, the secretary, and treasurer for many years, and the rest of the committee including Richard Wood and Sue and Jim Whyborn.”
To enquire about the new hall please email BerryfieldVillageHall@outlook.com or ring the parish council on 01225 705700.
