​Our Village Hall has been at the heart of life in Christian Malford and a key asset supporting the community for nearly 100 years. It has been an important hub for meetings, private events, social gatherings, activities and local services.
It has been so much more than just a building. It has been a vehicle for community engagement, bringing people together and providing a focus for village life. It has offered opportunities for groups to meet and engage on a regular basis. It has given opportunities for entertainment and attendance to village affairs in equal measure. It is a place where friendships have been formed and strengthened. In doing so it has delivered community pride and positive perceptions of life in the village.
The current Village Hall was originally built as a World War 1 temporary field hospital on Salisbury Plain. It was relocated to Christian Malford in 1925. It is a single skinned lightweight timber framed building with external corrugated iron cladding, lined with asbestos panels and no insulation. It has no foundations and stands on 50 brick pillars, about one foot high, built on concrete blocks. It was originally a single room hall but subsequent extensions have added a kitchen, toilet block and store. Externally there is some limited parking spaces and a small garden.
Our Village Hall is now at risk of loss without community intervention. It has become increasing expensive to maintain and run. There are significant limitations on the activities and services available because of its age and state of repair. The lack of parking, dated and tired ambiance, poor accessibility for the disabled, no internet access, limited capacity and a narrow layout (which restricts floor plan options) all combine to frustrate the range of possible use and activities.
Usage, and therefore income, has been in decline. Repairs, renewals, or improvements are not viable options. Marketing, promotion or selling will not overcome the undesirable offering. The Hall is insufficient, out of date and no longer fit for purpose. It no longer reflects the changing requirements of the community and needs to be replaced to preserve the purpose and benefits of having a Village Hall for generations to come.
The building is the very core of our continuing community existence. Without it many user groups will be unable to function. This is not about the loss of a building, it's about the greater loss to our way of life, community spirit and mutual well being.
We have prepared a plan but we will need your help and support if we are going to succeed. This website details these plans and what you can do to help. Please browse and check back for updates, it will remain work in progress until we are done and our dream of a new Village Hall is complete.
