The Chair’s Annual Report was accepted at the Annual General Meeting on October 25, 2024 at Beech Village Hall.
New directions for our Community Hub
Beech Village Hall had another good year of activity in 2023-24. Village events were well supported, hall hiring revenue increased and we kept the fabric of the Hall and green spaces in good shape. We have improved our connection with the community by launching a Membership Programme, and by doing more to recognise the many volunteers who support us.
Sensing a change in interests among villagers, we explored new entertainment and social options. After surveying residents, we launched a pilot ‘Screen by the Green’ Film Night in May 2024; the event was well received and Film Night has now become a regular feature on our calendar.
We’ve initiated two major projects to expand our offerings:
- Expanding beyond Film Night to include theatre via the National Theatre’s NT Live programme
- Redesigning the Annexe to create a versatile space for specialist training and therapy sessions, both individual and small group.
We believe the improved Annexe will be an asset for villagers who want to access a smaller space. More details about both projects are available in the appendices and we welcome feedback and offers of assistance.
Our vision for the Hall and Rec is to be Beech’s community hub, focusing on three areas:
- Social Hub: Regular social events, Bonfire Night and the coffee shop
- Health and Wellbeing Hub: Weekly classes in the Hall and therapy sessions in The Wellhouse.
- Culture Hub: Film Nights, with plans to expand to NT Live and possibly live screenings.
While we primarily serve Beech residents, we welcome participation from surrounding areas.
We continue to hire the Hall out successfully for wedding receptions and private parties; these make a big contribution to covering our running costs. Our hiring income increased by 4.3% in 2023-24 but the cost of running the Charity, excluding the cost of village events, rose by nearly 36%, resulting in an annual deficit of £7,088 – our first for many years. Whilst we still had a healthy year-end cash balance of £67,449, including the refurbishment fund and working capital, our financial plan is designed to return the Charity to a positive cash flow over the next two years.
Read the full Chair’s Report here.
