Randwick Hall opens: WI cakes nearly run out!!

The Village Hall Committee have done wonders - the first carbon neutral village hall...

...our local heros Alan (also pictured below by meter), Val (pictured below speaking), Harden and Mort - see photo of them with Stan Giles - have managed to pull in the grants and raise the money for the insulation measures, PV and Heat Pump that are now running - more in next blog about the hall itself - this blog is about the opening and the 400 plus visitors today!!

Of course thanks must also go to many others - the previous committee members who got the ball rolling and alerted the District Council to the need for work to take place, Krista Harris in the Regeneration Department at the District Council for all her support with the project, the Parish Council for yearly donating £3,000 in the hope of it being put to good use, the WI and indeed many others....

I hope both Alan Tomlinson's speech and Wap Mayor Stan Giles' speech will be put on the Parish website - as they not only cover the fascinating history but also thank all the people that need to be thanked - if they do get put on the web then I'll link it to this blog - did you know that Randwick, New South Wales, Australia gave over £40 to help buy the Playing Fields - one of their representatives came over to attend the opening many years ago...

Anyhow after the speeches to a crowd of nearly 150 people we all trooped inside - well I was offered a 2 minute advert for the Open Homes event which I took to encourage more people to take part - anyhow earlier in the hall the Committee, WI members and many others of us had set up the stalls and info - this was mainly about showing off the hall and also being a base for the Open Homes for a sustainable future weekend - the info included a great history of the new works - photos of the heat pump being installed, a stall with Transition Stroud stuff, exhibitions of the Heat Pump, Solarsense, the Greenshop Solar and Greenshop Rainharvesting plus SWEA with grant info and more.

It was almost too busy at times - the hall was open 11 to 4 and the beginning it was most busy but another wave came in the afternoon - I was there most of the morning, then went off to see some of the homes and the Cashes Green Hospital site consultation before coming back at the end to help clear up .

Feedback was very positive from all those with stalls - no one had expected so many people and interest from such a wide cross-section of folk - I would love to have had more exhibitors there but the District Council's funding for the leaflet made that too difficult this time - a shame as I was approached by several other companies who wanted to participate - maybe next year if we do it again!!?

Cake nearly runs out!

Anyhow 12.30ish I got worried - it was my first chance to grab a cake and tea - to my horror the vast selection of cakes had dwindled to only a few slices - now anybody knows it is a WI motto that "The cake and tea shall not runneth out ever" - and indeed true to form cakes started appearing from the village as if by magic. I also have to say there were a couple of exceptionally tasty cakes that I enjoyed - well done to all the WI - all the profits are going to the toilet block that is the next stage in the village hall makeover - it went to Planning this week.

Anyway I am pretty tired now but delighted by the response - the Open Homes have also been having lots of visitors - a blog coming very soon on that - but now time to put feet up a little - Fringe tonight - then again I think I'm only fit for a DVD?