Village Management Committee

The Appleshaw Village Hall Charity - Registered No. 1049974

History

The Village Management Committee is centred around Appleshaw Village Hall and the groups and organisations which depend on it: the Trustees of the Ward Memorial Playing Field, Pippins Pre-School, the Play Area Team, the various entertainments committees, cricket and football teams, Appleshaw Fete and Flower Show Committees and the Women's Institute and whist drives are a good representation. Here is the journey to the present, modern facility:

1913: Miss Ellen Stock gave the old Church Hall (now a private house) to the village 'to be used for the instruction, recreation and entertainment or for any other objects, ends or purposes, having in view the spiritual, intellectual, moral or social wants of professing members of the Church of England in the Parish of Appleshaw'. The Diocese of Winchester became the holding trustees and Appleshaw Parochial Church Council the managing trustees of the subsequent charity.

1934: Lt Col John Ward conveyed the Playing Field 'upon trust to be used as a playing field and Recreation Ground for the Parish of Appleshaw'. Hampshire Playing Fields Association is the Custodian Trustee and 4 Trustees of the Association (The Earl of Caernarvon, Sir James Scott, Major N W Hearson and Mr Peter Martin) became the 'Holding' Trustees.

1969: the Ward Memorial Playing Field was (incorrectly) registered as a Village Green which, according to Counsel's Opinion some 20 years later, brought it under the provisions of The Enclosure Act 1857 and The Commons Act 1876. This mistake was to cause a delay of over 5 years when the decision was eventually taken to sell the old Church Hall to fund the present-day replacement on the Playing Field. A charity was established.

1987: Hampshire Playing Fields Association, being the Custodian Trustee, agreed that 'there should be no difficulty in proceeding with a scheme to appropriate part of the playing field as a site for a new village hall', and that the following facilities should be provided:

            Children's Play Area
            1 Football Pitch (105 yards by 65 yards) with adequate marginal clearances
            1 Cricket Square with minimum boundary of 50 yards, plus

Bowling Green (minimum 2 or 3 Rinks)
Hard Tennis Court/Netball Court (minimum 1 or 2 Courts)

1989: old Church Hall and sports pavilion on the Ward Memorial Playing Field closed for use by the then management committee and Trustees of the Ward Memorial Playing Field for health and safety reasons.

1991: new charity established (no. 1049974) with stated representatives of various village organisations to divide the proposed Appleshaw Village Hall from the Ward Memorial Playing Field:

'The object of the Village Hall Charity shall be the provision and maintenance of a village hall for the use of the inhabitants of the Parish of Appleshaw without distinction of political, religious or other opinions, including use for meetings, lectures and classes, and other forms of recreation and leisure time occupations, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants'.

1995: at last! The then management committee is to be congratulated for bringing the negotiations to a conclusion. The present, modern building was completed on the site of a former cricket pavilion and offers facilities which are unrivalled in the area - a clean, modern structure with shower and changing facilities, and the added attraction of the Ward Memorial Playing Field for cricket and football matches and endless children's parties!

Purpose Today

To provide a central pool of resources for the various village organisations.
Balance the needs of the community today with the spirit of the gifts we have been given.
Get things done by pulling the community together and being a catalyst for improvement.

Get Involved

With so much going on in the village we are always on the look out for volunteers to help out with forthcoming events or to contribute thier skills to the evolution of the villages to improve the lives of all who live here.

Anyone for Cricket?

Not to be outdone by the 3 new football teams, the Cricket Club has now been resurrected for a wide range of ages. Do you know your google from a googley? For more information please contact Fin Hughes.

Is your humour a litte edgey?

Good - there is an interest in getting a Comedy Club up and running in the Village following the success of the Dominic Holland event. Would you be interested in helping out?

Are you a budding social entrepreneur?

We are always on the look out for people with good business or organisational skills that could be applied in a similar way for a completly different outcome.

If you have 2-4 hours per month spare and an interest in getting things done for a great community, please contact committee@arcadiavillages.co.uk for more information.

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