Over the course of a few weekend some volunteers came into the hall to add various pieces that were needed to bring the kitchen up health and hygiene standards.  We were inspected by the Health and Hygiene Officer from Rochford District Council.  The volunteers cleared and cleaned, adjusted and replaced, painted and varnished various areas to pass.

This is a temporary measure so that the kitchen could be reopened.  Though the committee decided after so much interest was received that the kitchen, that looked so battered and tired, would be more welcoming if it had a face lift.  This will be happening in August complete with the purchase of some new equipment and some electrical work.

I will blog the Kitchen's progress on this website.

Even though we have not been in the hall, we have still been working hard on trying to find ways to move forward. Two of our committee members attended online training with ACRE to ensure that the hall is being run within the Charity Commissions guidelines, to make sure the books are being filled out correctly and to work towards making sure that the hall is serving the community well. 

We were very honoured to be able to support some members of our community at a very difficult time in their lives.

On 22nd March, due to the back log of funerals in our area, we welcomed a humanist funeral ceremony into the hall.  The family chose a Woodside Burial after the ceremony and returned to our hall afterwards for the wake.

Our Chairlady and Bookings Manager were on hand the whole day to orchestrate proceedings with Stibbards Funeral Directors for the funeral and Seasons in Thyme for the Wake.

If we can help any of our community in this way while there is such a backlog please get in touch and we would be happy to help.

We have had an upgrade to our sanitising stations around the hall. The toilets have received new soap dispensers and for the new mums with their babies a nappy bin service has been installed. 
The internal CCTV is now up and running. 
We are looking at new heating system so that the hall is consistently warm. This is taking a lot of head scratching and the whole committee and W.L.Copley & Sons Ltd are working on it together currently. 
The Room of Requirement and it’s toilets, the kitchen and all the loos have been plastered. The door leading in had been widened for disabled chair access.
A community Defibrillator has been installed in our porch too. 
We will be ready for our Christmas Break. 

A total this year of £3615.67 has been raised by you, our community, to help with the refurbishment of our kitchen when buying from our Coop. Our Committee met with the Coop at The Golden Cross to gratefully receive the donation.

There is so much our kitchen will give; a teaching space, a cafe, a place to prepare food for parties, celebrations and functions, a community cooking hub to support the needy, to name but a few. We are on our way, and if any of our community has any ideas or can offer some expertise on how to go about this refurbishment we would be truly grateful. Please contact us either by texting 07307 692889 or email.

Thank you all again for supporting us and supporting our Coop!  

Our new Chair Lin welcomed Carol Cook and her signing choir Hands4Voices into the hall on Saturday 4th February to help raise money for the EDCS. All moving and a grooving doing Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Waltz, Charleston and finishing off with a barn dance over 40 ladies and gentlemen had a wonderful time. You can see how beautifully the hall copes with such a large group of dancers. 

Lin holds many dance classes around the community Strollercise, Couples Ballroom and Strictly Ballroom and also in our hall. If you fancy learning you can contact her here. 

Carol Cook is the Choir leader for Hands4Voices and Founder of Don’t Shout Out, a company that teaches accredited British Sign Language. If you would like to learn BSL or join her choir you can contact her on her website here. 

The signing choir Hands4Voices run by Carol Cook came to the hall on Saturday 19th November to teach the children from the EDCS how to sign two Christmas songs. ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’. The parents enjoyed a beverage of their choice and a cheeky little cake in our new Room of Requirement while the children were in the hall with the choir. There was such excitement and joy. At the end the children performed the songs to their parents and grandparents and left to go home full of Christmas cheer.

This class, as you can see, is proving to be very popular. Comments received so far have been.

‘I actually feel like I’m dancing’  

‘I don’t feel like I’m exercising this is so much fun’

‘you’re saying if I’m asked to dance, I can?!’

’where did that hour go?’

With discussions on Strictly Come Dancing and dancing to some of the tunes used too. The class is inclusive and offers a feel good factor. Why not contact Lin and join the ladies and do a Rumba, Paso or a cheeky Salsa?

Contact Lin Green on 07414 572866

On Saturday 29th October we welcomed  a new hirer to our hall, The Gaynes Park Allotment and Gardens Association. They held their annual quiz night to raise funds for the Association. Around 70 people attended and enjoyed a fun night which included a fish and chip supper halfway through the evening. Our Vice-Chairman, David Catchpole, organised the evening being a member of the Association. He said it was a very enjoyable evening and many of the members complemented him on the choice of venue. They particularly liked the Air Purifier units which was quite a talking point having never seen them in any local halls.