The purpose of Beckford Community Council is the day-to-day running of the Village Hall and playing fields for the benefit of the parish and surrounds. It also covers community life in the Village.  The Community Council is a member of 'Community FIrst', an independent charity offering a range of support and advice to both voluntary organisations and local communities within Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Click here to view their latest Parish Plan Newsletter.

The BCC meets at least 3 times a year.  The Annual General Meeting is open to the public, usually in September. The date of the AGM will be posted on the web site calendar. For a copy of the latest chairman's report, click here.

Members are drawn from the Trustees of Beckford Village Hall, representatives from voluntary groups using the hall and as many co-opted members as is deemed necessary by the council.  All are volunteers.

History of the Hall

Mr. John Lodge, a long time Chairman of the Trustees of the Hall and long serving member of the Community Council wrote an informative history of the village Hall in 1999. Click here to see an extract of this document. Bearing in mind that it was written in 1999, you will find some of the references out of date. Nevertheless, it gives a good account of the history.

Members as at September 2007

Chairman & Trustee	Rupert Ellis
Vice Chairman	Vacant
Secretary	Jill Slade
Treasurer	Sally Stringer
Booking Clerk	Peter Byrd
Village Hall Play area,  Beckford Market & Trustee	Yo Yates
British Legion	David Pugh
Beckford Social Club	Phil Smith
Beckford Women’s Institute	Briony Coupe
Beckford Parish Council & Trustee	Janna Gowthorpe
Church Committee	Paul Jay
Beckford Tennis Club	Christine Jay
Beckford & District Gardening Club	Anne Clark
Bredon Colts	Colin Purser
Beckford Village	Sally Stringer
Little Beckford Village	Michelle Sinclair-Ford
Grafton	Josie Wilkinson
Co-opted Member	John Lodge
Trustee	Ross Thompson
Trustee	Jane Hopkins

Village Hall

Our Village Hall is available for hire by individuals or organisations for meetings, private parties, dances etc.
It has a maximum capacity of 130 persons with a small committee room available for small events for 15 – 20 persons.
The Hall, Committee Room and toilets are all no-smoking areas. The building has full central heating and has good kitchen facilities including a refrigerator and large range cooker.  There are modern ladies and gents toilets and a disabled toilet. Wheelchair access is provided.
A Canadian Maple sprung floor and a stage make Beckford Village Hall an excellent venue for dances.

New stage

After 8 months of hard work by a band of volunteers, who gave up many weekends and evenings, the new stage area is finally complete. The work started in April/May 2007, when the old stage was completely ripped out and the new construction began. The small gallery of photos below shows the progress through the 8 months, culminating in the completed stage in February 2008. If you wish to see a large picture, just click on the thumbnails....

Children's playground

There is a car park at the front and to the side of the building with access onto the playing field for overflow car parking. The playing field may also be hired for specific functions such as caravan rallies, sports events, etc.
Outside there is a large playing field, an enclosed Children’s Play Area behind the tennis courts and an area planted with many trees and shrubs. 

 

Hire Charges (as at January 2008)

Hall	£7.00 per hour*
Committee Room	£5.00 per hour*
Caravans	£5.00 per pitch per night
Private Parties	£50.00 Refundable deposit

*Beckford & Grafton voluntary organisations enjoy a discount of £1.00 per hour

To book the Village Hall please telephone Peter Byrd on 01386 881360.

Regular users of the Village Hall include

The Parish Council, Women’s Institute, Toddlers Group, Yoga, Thai Chi, Karate, Gardening Club and a Singing Group.
We have a twice-weekly Doctor’s Surgery on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Occasional users include

A Folk Camp, Caravan Clubs, plant sales, visiting theatre groups and many private parties to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Beckford has a popular Market twice a year.  The Community Council meets here and the Church also holds several events.