OKEFORD FITZPAINE VILLAGE HALL

Greenhayes, Okeford Fitzpaine. DT11 0RE

To book the Hall, telephone : 01258 807697 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Village Hall was built in 1910 and used mainly as a reading room, where villagers could go to read books and newspapers. Over the years it has been used as a dining hall for the village school, a meeting place for a variety of clubs and has been and still is the centre of many social gatherings such as dances, birthday parties, wedding receptions and a host of fund raising events.

It stands in a corner of the village know as Greenhayes which is maintained by the Parish Council.  This is a green area with several old trees used in conjunction with the Hall for village tea parties to commemorate nationwide celebrations such as V.E. day and Royal Jubilees.  It also serves as a pleasant place for children to  play and adults to sit when whatever is going on inside the Hall gets too much!

The Hall is a registered charity and is run by a management committee which is elected annually and consists of elected members and representative members of the various clubs who regularly use it.  The main job of the committee is to keep the Hall in good condition which means regular and frequent fund raising.  The support of the villagers is vital at these times and they always come through.

A lot of work has been done to improve the Hall since the 1980's under the leadership of several different chairmen with the voluntary work of committee members and good friends.  In 1982 a large extension was added to the west end of the Hall, this created space for a new modern kitchen and a spacious bar come committee room.  The old kitchen at the east end of the Hall was then taken on as a storeroom.  Six years later in 1988 further storage space was added to the south side to accommodate the tables and chairs which up until then had mostly been stored in the main body of the Hall, this was not always convenient.

Shortly after the table store was completed the old heavy galvanised roof was replaced with a lightweight hard wearing one.  The entire job was undertaken by volunteers and 20 years later most of it (some of it was replaced when a later extension was added) is still in place and set to last a whole lot longer.

In 1990 the interior porch on the north side was demolished giving a much more open feel to the Hall.  As this area was often used for storage its removal made it much safer with better access to the emergency exit.  Both of the outside porches remained.  This done a new maple floor replaced the original dark and much repaired old one, the transformation was incredible.  The following year in 1991 a major refurbishment of the toilets was undertaken modernising both the ladies and gents facilities.  Again most of the work was carried out by volunteers and members of the committee.  In fact we estimate that 95% of the work carried out on the projects above was completed by volunteer labour, an amazing achievement in a relatively small village.

By 1992 it was obvious that a new heating system was needed.  With the help of a Parish Council grant and a lot more fund raising by the committee gas central heating was installed and was immediately deemed by everyone to be well worth the effort.  Apart from anything else it was cheaper to run and more efficient than the outdated electric fan heaters it replaced.

A problem often found in community buildings is bad acoustics and our Hall was no exception.  In the summer of 1995 a specialist in noise control was called in, his report resulted in the installation of an acoustic tiling ceiling set in a much lower position.  Whilst this improved the acoustics inside it also lessened the impact on neighbours, of noise going out.  Also the reduction of heat loss into the old high ceiling space resulted in lower heating bills.  All in all a much more comfortable environment had been created.

4 years later in 1999 it was clear that something needed to be done to the windows on the south side and the doors and windows of the kitchen and bar areas.  The committee dug into its hard won reserves and the old wooden windows were replaced with UPVC double glazed units, this again improved the Hall and again helped with the heating bills.

As the village began to grow it became apparent that more space was needed and to that end the Management Committee decided that the only answer was an extension. The process started with more fund raising.  Then consultation with structural engineers, builders, architects, North Dorset District Council which is the planning authority and the Parish Council, eventually culminated in a set of plans and an application to the National Lottery Charities Board for a £61,000 grant.  Unfortunately the Board didn't think that enough benefit would be gained and the application was refused.  Needless to say many villagers were extremely disappointed not least the Management committee members who put so much effort into keeping the Hall running.

Not daunted, fund raising continued and by 2004 it was decided that the extension must go ahead.  Given the price that a building contractor would have cost it was also decided to do it on our own with just the essential professionals to pay for.

Work commenced in earnest in the spring of 2006 and with the promise of a £10,000 grant from Dorset Community Action, smaller donations of money and goods from the Parish Council and other organisations, clubs and individuals and a £26,000 bank balance, the project was set in motion.

Months of hard work followed with volunteers working every day, some having completed their normal days work first, some giving an hour or two here and there and some spending all day in order that the regular users of the Hall (who were very understanding and patient) weren't disrupted too much, we managed to keep it open during the whole time work was going on, the downside to this meant that at the end of a hard days work everything had to be cleaned up and made safe ready for use.

The official opening of the extension took place in May 2007 and by the end of the year it was finished, complete with new disabled facilities and refurbished ladies toilets and powder room.  Approximately 60 square metres has been added to the inside with surprisingly very little impact to the car parking area outside.  The resulting extra space has been welcomed by everyone who uses the Hall and visitors have nothing but praise for the warm, welcoming, effect that has been created.

Fund raising is ongoing with the main annual event, The Fippenny Fayre, taking place on the third Sunday in June each year at the Recreation Ground, Castle Lane.  SEE YOU THERE.

The Village Hall is located in Greenhayes :

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