Chieveley Village Hall &
Recreational Centre

News from your Village Hall
 
Well what a great start to 2026 we had in January for your village hall. Early in the month we received confirmation from West Berkshire Council that our planning application for the increased and improved parking is now approved (just have to wait for dryer weather to get started now!); we have a few more volunteers joining our “Friends of Chieveley Village Hall” volunteer group; and we successfully staged Chieveley Village’s very first pantomime – “oh yes we did”! Getting on for 90 people saw the show and, judging from the audience laughter, thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon of panto fun to break the January gloom (see photo). We are yet to fully review the event but hope that this will now become an annual feature on your hall and village calendar.

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Now onto February and “eyes down for a full House” with our first Community Bingo session on Friday 20th February – doors open at the hall 5.30pm, with a prompt start at 6pm, for an hour of a bit of fun bingo before the weekend. Entry is free and there will be prizes - but you do need to book via the hall website in advance.

Then the next event will be in Easter with our Easter Market and free Easter egg hunt with prizes for children taking part and, hopefully by then, we will have a spectacular daffodil display in front of the hall as we emerge into Springtime. This year we have confirmation that the Renegade Brewery and both your favourites: Hedgerow cheeses and Sweety Pie Patisserie will be there - so keep an eye open for the date announcement.

The Vision 2050 project fund-raising is progressing well and we will provide more details on this in March but this year we are planning as a minimum to focus on:  the parking areas; the wilding and nature trail creation; and very importantly, the main hall area itself. Obviously, if our fund-raising efforts are as successful as last year, then we may be able to extend the scope of our works further, but we will not know until April/May if this is possible.

Also in 2026, we are increasing our marketing efforts to both raise awareness in our community and hopefully continue to increase people using the hall and coming to events and activities. Regular free advertising will be extended to such platforms as Round & About magazine, Instagram, and most recently Kennet Radio. If you have further thoughts on where you would like to hear about what’s on at your hall we would like to hear from you!

And, talking of activities, perhaps learning to dance was one of your New Year resolutions? Even if not, but you would like to learn ballroom and Latin dancing, then Jeff & Tracy who run Newbury Dancers will be starting their beginners’ classes at the hall again on Wednesday 4th February. Jeff and Tracy have over 20 years of dancing experience and, whether you’re a total beginner discovering how to just waltz with confidence, or you want to add some flair to that Cha Cha you’ve been practising in front of Strictly Come Dancing on the telly, they will be very supportive in building your skills and learning at your own pace.

Lastly, I’d like to mention one of our long-standing regular gatherings at the hall. Every Friday afternoon from 2.30 to 4pm for just £2 you can come along to the Club Room at the hall for a “cup of Rosie Lee”, a piece of delicious home-made cake and, most importantly, a friendly chat with a few locals from our village in a relaxed and happy atmosphere.

Keep an eye out for details of all the new and regular activities and events at your village hall on: our notice board outside the shop; on the banners and flyers around the village; and of course as always at the hall itself and on our website: www.chieveleyvillagehall.org and, if you have any questions, then please get in touch with Rosalind - our Bookings Manager.  

Yours sincerely,
 
Neal Courtney
Chairman CRC

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