Annual report of the Village Hall

Belstone Village Hall Report to Annual Parish Meeting 27 April 2026

Good evening everyone and thank you to the Parish Council for this opportunity to speak on behalf of the Village Hall.

I would like to start by re-emphasising the links between several of the organisations that enable this village to function in a strong and sustained way. With this in mind I would like to speak about the Belstone Village Website. This site has been going now since 2009. Initially set up to promote the Village Hall and all its activities, it has now grown to include many aspects of village life and has a considerable following. It is financed by three organisations, the Village Hall, the Parish Church and the Parish Council. It is principally run by Edwina and Robin Hill as Editors, with Simon Hill as developer and technical support. I am delighted that the Parish Council has decided to stay with us rather than producing their own website at considerable cost. There is no statutory need for them to have a separate website, and our view is that having all organisations represented on one website is of considerable advantage to us all. The Parish Council posts on the website are very ably administered by Jon Pike as Parish Clerk.

The Village Hall committee would like to thank the Parish Council for their ongoing maintenance and care for the car park. This is a great asset as far as the Village Hall is concerned.

The Village Hall has recently undergone a change of Manager with Edwina Hill stepping down after many years of dedicated work, keeping the Village Hall running smoothly and efficiently. Sharon Cooper has stepped into those shoes and already shows the same dedication and efficiency, and we wish her every success in her new role.

Finally, I would like to thank West Devon Brough Council for enabling the Village Hall to get a considerable grant of £3000 which with money from Village Hall funds enabled us to install excellent audio visual equipment in the Hall. We now have a ceiling mounted projector and large electronic drop-down screen, which we hope will be used by many, including the Parish Council, for presentations, film shows etc.
It is always very gratifying to see the amount of support the Village gives to events, such as the Summer Fair and we give a big thank you to all who help. We have a very valuable village asset that I hope will be part of the village well into the future.

Robin Hill (Chair, Belstone Village Hall)