A decade of planning and fundraising has paid off for Isham residents with the opening of the long-awaited, new village hall.

The project involved demolition of the dilapidated 80-year-old wooden hall in Church Street, using the existing site for the new building. Funding for the scheme came mainly from an old Isham fund worth £150,000, known as the Mortar Pits Charity, with a further boost of £50,000 from Wren Landfill Communes Fund. Villagers raised the remainder over ten years with generous donations from residents and grants of financial support from the Maud Elkington Charitable trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, NCC Empowering Councillors Community Fund and Isham Parish Council.

The hall has a main hall seating 80 people, a kitchen area and toilets with a disabled lift. The building work was carried out as a design and build project by the Duffin Partnership of Orlingbury. The new hall was officially opened by former Isham Lollipop Lady, Marlene Freeman, and longstanding former Chairman, John Lambert.

The hall is now open for business; most of the old regular users are back and it is great to see a few new ones trying the excellent facilities. The hall is a fantastic venue for that family celebration, big event or smaller gathering. It also has an excellent outdoor area securely fenced off so that younger visitors can play outside, and it has already been a great band practice room for local groups. One-off events are always welcome but the committee is particularly interested in hearing from anyone who wants to try something new and aim for a weekly booking, such as table tennis, line dancing, arts and carts, etc.

For further details or to discuss your requirements, please contact Mandy Stokes on 01536 723819.

 
Isham Village Hall