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Soudley Village Hall is more than just a building—it’s the heart of our community. As a non-profit, registered charity, the Village Hall is run by unpaid volunteers who work tirelessly to provide a space for local events, social gatherings, and community activities. Every event, every meeting, and every class relies on the dedication of these volunteers who are passionate about keeping the hall open for all to enjoy.
However, running the Village Hall has never been more challenging. It’s hard to believe that it now costs approximately £10,000 per year just to keep the hall running, not including the additional costs of repairs, maintenance, and improvements. Unfortunately, the cost of keeping the hall open continues to rise. Overheads, such as electricity, have doubled since our fixed-term tariff expired, and other running costs continue to increase at a steep rate. Meanwhile, our income remains largely static, making it more difficult than ever to meet these rising expenses.
That’s why we’re reaching out to our community for support. There are several ways you can help ensure that Soudley Village Hall survives to serve as a valuable resource for generations to come.
Event Volunteering
We rely on volunteers to help run the many events held at the hall throughout the year. Whether it’s setting up for a community event, assisting with activities, or offering a helping hand during a fundraiser, your time and effort make a huge difference.
Typical activities include: shopping errands, preparing food on site, making sandwiches, serving customers from the kitchen hatch, selling admission tickets, selling raffle tickets, loading the dishwasher, drying and stacking washed plates, accepting cash and card payments, erecting tables and chairs before an event, dismantling tables and chairs after an event, emptying bins, sweeping the floor, putting out waste bins and recycling boxes the night before collection, and returning empty bins after collection etc.
Donation
Your financial support, whether large or small, goes directly to keeping the Village Hall open and functional. Every donation helps offset running costs, from utilities to essential repairs.
Forest Lottery
By signing up for the Forest Lottery, you can help support local causes like ours. You’ll be in with a chance of winning prizes, all while supporting the Village Hall and other charitable projects within the community.
Forest Lottery is a weekly lottery with a top prize of £25,000. 10% of all ticket proceeds goes towards the Forest Lottery Community Fund, and 50% of all ticket proceeds goes towards an advertised list of good causes. To select us from this list, please use the following link to purchase your Forest Lottery tickets:
https://www.forestlottery.co.uk/support/soudley-village-hall
Fundraising Events
Our volunteers work hard to organise fundraising events throughout the year, such as quizzes, auctions, and raffles. Joining us at these events, or even hosting one yourself, is a great way to raise vital funds for the hall.
Tangible Donations
We also welcome tangible donations. If you have items, equipment, or services that could benefit the Village Hall, please get in touch. Whether it’s furniture, decorations, or tools for maintenance, your donation will help us maintain and improve the hall. This can include home-made cooking, and items suitable for competition prizes.
Competition events include quiz, bingo, and raffles etc. Typical prizes include gift vouchers, admission tickets for a future public event, food, drink, and cosmetics etc. Any product that is electrical, intended for human or animal consumption, or intended for human or animal skin application, must remain in its original packaging with all security seals still intact to ensure health and safety.
Typical home-made cooking include cakes, desserts, sandwiches, soups, sausage-rolls and other savoury dishes etc. We ask that you indicate whether the dish is suitable for vegetarians and/or vegans, and list any allergic ingredients.
Leave a Legacy in your Will
If you feel strongly about supporting the Village Hall for years to come, consider leaving a legacy in your will. Your contribution will ensure that future generations enjoy the same community space that has brought us together for so many years.
If you would like to leave a gift in your Will to Soudley Village Hall, we strongly recommend that you speak to a solicitor to ensure that your wishes will be carried out as you intended.
You will need to take the following details with you:
Soudley Recreation Ground and Village Hall Trust
Registered address: Lower Road, Soudley GL14 2TZ
Registered charity number: 269338 (England and Wales)
The following wording should be used:
I leave (fixed sum) or (% share) of my residuary estate for Soudley Recreation Ground and Village Hall Trust of Lower Road, Soudley, GL14 2TZ (registered charity number 269338) for its general charitable purposes, and I declare that the receipt from a Trustee for the time being of the said charity shall be sufficient discharge to my Executors.
If you have remembered Soudley Village Hall in your Will, we would love to hear from you. Not only will this help us make plans for the future of Soudley Village Hall, it also means we can thank you properly for your support. Anything you tell us will be confidential and not legally binding.
Information for Executors:
If you are looking to make a payment from a Will, please contact our Treasurer by calling 01594 844 000 or emailing treasury@soudleyvillagehall.org.uk
We are incredibly grateful to all those who have already given their time, energy, and resources to support the Village Hall. Every little bit helps, and together, we can continue to provide a warm and welcoming space for everyone in the community. Thank you for your generosity, and we look forward to seeing you at the hall soon!