Another day of remembrance...

This morning there was a get-together and very informal service where we said 'Goodbye' to our soon-to-be demolished village Parish Rooms and to inform local people about the plans for their replacement, a new church annexe.

Originally a one-room structure built in the 19th century as the then-Vicar's stable, by the mid-20th century it had been converted into the village school's kitchen and dining hall and also became a venue for social get-togethers and dances. Later, in the 1950s and 60s, more rooms were added as temporary extra classrooms for an ever-expanding population. In the 1980s, a new school was opened at a different site but the (by now not-so-temporary!) Parish Rooms still continued to serve the community, housing many clubs and events, such as the Brownies & Guides, a dance school and the toddler group, which I ran for four years.

Despite the valiant efforts of a dedicated few over the years to keep the Parish Rooms open and safe, they finally had to close completely a few months ago and the many groups who used them have dispersed to other locations. We have a wonderful community centre and a village hall nearby but our village is expanding fast, with around 125 homes currently being built in just two fields on its outskirts and no doubt many more are on the way, so a new building will be vital to our growing community.

Fundraising is going well, partly through the sale of most of what little land remains to our church, and the building work should start in 2013. There's still a way to go, though, and as every little helps, today there was also a sale of various items and I came home with a pile of games and puzzles (and, thankfully, my camera, which I'd put down for a moment and caught someone eyeing up!).

It was quite funny when the 'Chief Maintenance Officer' said he definitely wouldn't miss the Parish Rooms, as it's been such a hard - and costly - struggle to keep them open. It's a sentiment most share, I think, especially in view of the wonderful facility we'll have to replace them, but of course it's still sad as they've played a big part in many of our lives and it's certainly the end of an era.