Village Hall
A voice yelled (Fire!)
The flames rose higher
And folk clad in their night attire
watched sadly as the hall decayed
Their faces staring, strained, dismayed
Oh how they must have felt afraid-
A situation dire

Despondency that winter’s night,
A sorry and distressing sight,
It left us all in such a plight
A building shattered,
torn and tattered
Smoking debris, timbers scattered
Twasn’t fair or right

~~
But people met and toiled and planned
A really fine industrious band
Of willing people gave a hand
With little fuss
They did discuss
their plans ~ then told the rest of us
Two years ~ this hard work spanned
~~
We now behold this splendid hall
Airy, spacious, clean, and tall
So, let’s rejoice now, one and all
No matter what your hobbies be:
Bowling, painting, poetry
I say quite unashamedly ~
“Come in and have a ball !”


By Rita Croft
 

I BLAME THE VICAR (FOR THE VILLAGE HALL).

I always blame the Vicar; he is the hub of our community
He is the hub of our small society
The ground the Hall stands upon
Is owned by the Church.
To meet

We frequent all these rooms every day
For seven days
We come together for Poetry
Line Dancing, Body Sculpt
Acappella, and Friday Night Jazz
The W.I. and Golden Threads too
To meet

I shall always blame the Vicar When we meet.

Alison Ayliffe
 

Our Village Halls by Brenda Linsell
I remember the old, old Village Hall
Corrugated tin it was, painted green to gain
Some semblance of a blending in to greenery around. Of the Cotswold vernacular there was nothing at all, Save a natural stone wall fronting the lane.
As the weeks went by we would bring
Our babies to the Clinic there,
To be surveyed and weighed by Nurse,
And any gain in weight was good
And noted down in little book
By willing helpers who would look
Admiringly and wistfully at other little ones.
With the Village expanding,
Lots more people and housing, -^
A bigger and better Hall was the thing.
Minds were called upon to ponder long into the night.
Countless meetings later an exciting scheme seemed right.
A very modern Village Hall by builders who would bring
A fabricated building deemed right.
Flat all round and on top,
Of the Cotswold vernacular not a drop,
Save a natural stone wall fronting the lane.
A long life seemed sure,
For this resplendent New Hall, plenty of room for all.
Parties and clubs and meetings galore
And even a Doctor on weekly call
Would come and take a Surgery full.
Oh what a joy was our New Village Hall.
Many years on a Night of Disaster,
Smoke, flames and Crackling ended it all.
What an ignominious end for our Village Hall.

Once again minds were toying
Problems needing solving
And countless meetings and proposals
Were slowly growing more productive.
A year or two later a Bold Scheme was hatched,
A Brand New Hall could be funded from scratch,
For use by us All,
And once again Lorries came up the lane
With new walling, partitions and all that was needed
For a brilliant New Hall,
Which rose from the Ashes.
Oh what a Sight a Gleaming New Hall So light and roomy for all to enthral. The clubs, the Parties, the Gatherings all Now taking place in our New Village Hall. And of the Cotswold vernacular, nothing at all 'Cept a roof, Pitched, from which rain can fall, And of course the Old Stone Wall fronting the lane.
 

OUR VILLAGE HALL
We're going to have a party
To celebrate the day
And mark the big occasion
In our own exciting way.
Our Village Hall rebuilt at last,
A Phoenix from the ashes
Two long years frustrating toil.
With inspirational flashes,
We're going to have a party,
Yes we'll be having a bit of a 'Do'
To say thanks for all the hard work That's been done by quite a few.
We're going to have a party,
A right good old - fashioned spree
A HUGE Village get together
( even better 'cos it's a pleasure that is Free!)
We're going to have a party
With many hands to share the tasks There'll be lots of fun preparing.
Best of all, just come, don't ask.
We're going to have a party,
A lovely delectation.
With festive food and beverages.
Right and fitting for our station.
On Friday 20th of October,
We're due for some gaiety
Our Local MP. will open the Hall
For him and me and thee!!!!
Eileen Fry October 2006
 

At the Hall (with apologies to Paul Simon)
Someone told me it's all happening at the Hall
I do believe them, I do believe them all.
It's a long and winding journey
From the Parklands to Hill Hayes,
Join the fine and fancy Ramblers
In the Hall.
You can take the Malmesbury bus-route
If it's raining or it's cold
And Hullavington will love you, love you all.
The Bowls Club stand for honesty,
The Ramblers are sincerity
The Line-dancers are kindly
And they're fun.
The Neighbourhood are sceptical
Of changes in Hill Hayes,
But the lively Hall is not to be outdone.
There's a sparkling group for poetry
Golden Threads before senility
Women's Institute gentility
Film Club perspicacity
Ballroom dance agility
Body sculpt for mobility
Cakes and coffee served here frequently.
Come and have a ball
At the Village Hall.
Maggie Dyson
 

Hullavington Village Hall

Not beautiful, stylish or listed,
Car park puddles,
Pre-school notices,
Whiff of toilets and ancient cigarettes,
Cracked floor tiles and brown stage curtains –
Village hall --
Gone in minutes
Swallowed in smoke
Consumed by fire.

Sad scorched skeleton
Awaking memories of pantomimes and parties
Dances and discos
Autumn shows and Christmas plays.
Gone in minutes.

Gap in the village
Hole in the community.

But
Time passed, ideas tossed,
Some caught, some discarded.
Planning, preparation, dedication, determination,
Skilful organisation.

Hullavington Village Hall –
as it was but different.
New atmosphere, new smells,
Light, bright, welcoming.

Gap plugged,
Hole filled

Ours to use and enjoy.
Thank you.
 

Alison Reed