Village Halls Week – Marchwood Village Hall

Village halls are often the quiet backbone of a community – hosting everything from fitness classes and support groups to children’s parties and local meetings. In the New Forest, Marchwood Village Hall plays exactly that role, offering a welcoming, flexible space that’s open to everyone.

The hall is run by the Marchwood Community Association, a registered charity. Alongside hiring out its facilities, the Association delivers its own activities to bring people together, all powered by local volunteers and supported behind the scenes by Community First.

This Village Halls Week (March 16-22), we spoke to Alli Sherwood, who runs the hall, about what makes it such an important part of village life.

For anyone who hasn’t visited before, what does Marchwood Village Hall offer?

“We have two rooms available to hire – a main hall and a smaller room. The main hall is hired out on an hourly basis and is used for all sorts of activities. We’ve had guide dog puppy training, a dementia singing group, children’s parties – it really varies.

“The facility is open to everyone. That’s important to us. We want it to be a space the whole community feels they can use.”

Do you run activities as well as hiring the space out?

“Yes, we do. As a charity, Marchwood Community Association runs a mother and toddler group once a week, and we also have a monthly senior citizen club.

“The seniors club might include afternoon tea, bowling, or guest speakers, it’s as much about the social side as anything else. There’s a small fee for both groups, just to help keep them going.

“I run the hall day-to-day myself, but I have wonderful volunteers who help with these activities. I couldn’t do it without them.”

How is the hall funded?

“A lot of our income comes from hiring the hall out to groups and local businesses. That’s what keeps us afloat.

“We also run fundraising events like quiz nights, and we apply for grants and funding where we can. That’s where Community First has been absolutely pivotal. They’re a real resource – they let us know what funding is coming up and suggest grants we might be eligible for.

“Recently, they helped us apply for funding for solar panels, and we were successful. We now have almost free electricity, which is amazing. It keeps our running costs down and means we don’t have to pass extra costs on to local people. Instead, we can reinvest that money back into the hall and the community.”

How else has Community First supported you?

“They’re supporting us with becoming a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), which is something the trustees feel is the right move for us. The legal side of things can be complicated, but Community First are always there to guide us through it.

“They’ve helped with fundraising advice, governance and making sure we’ve got the fundamentals in place. When you’re largely running something on your own, it’s reassuring to know you can pick up the phone and get the right information.

“They’ve also run first aid training for me and our volunteers, which was really valuable.

“We lease part of the building to the local parish council and have done for 14 years. Community First help make sure all the legal aspects of that arrangement are sound. Their knowledge is really important to us.

“It’s just nice to know someone is there and will support us with anything.”

What role do volunteers play at the hall?

“They’re absolutely essential. All our volunteers are from the local community – I approached many of them myself.

“They help run events like the seniors club and toddler group, but they also get involved in maintenance, gardening and general upkeep around the hall. It really is a community effort.”

Across Hampshire, we support a wide network of village halls and community centres. That includes help with governance, funding applications, training, policies and day-to-day operations, giving volunteers and committees the confidence and knowledge to run sustainable, welcoming spaces for their communities.

If you’re doing good in your community, whether you run a village hall, lead a local group, manage a charity, or something in between, we’d love to support you. Email us at support@cfirst.org.uk so we can explore how we can help you keep making a difference and making life better for everyone.