Village hall project in memory of parish clerk (From Wiltshire Times)

Village hall project in memory of parish clerk

5:51pm Tuesday 11th July 2006 in Warminster By Craig Evry

A VILLAGE hall project in memory of a former parish council clerk will be unveiled on Saturday.

The old schoolroom in Norton Bavant, near Warminster, will be formally reopened by Anne Sawyer, whose husband David was a former clerk to the parish council for many years.

Mrs Sawyer, who is a benefactor of the project, has lived in the village for 32 years.

The former schoolroom is owned by the Diocese of Salisbury and is being leased to the Norton Bavant Amenity Trust, set up as a registered charity in 2004.

Problems with access and a lack of basic facilities threatened the former schoolroom, which has been used as a parish room for the past 50 years.

Villagers raised £20,000 towards the project through a series of fundraising events over the past five years.

The project also received funding from Wiltshire County Council, Viridor Credits, the Countryside Agency and West Wiltshire District Council.

Disabled access to the hall has been funded by The Fudge Trust, while a kitchenette was paid for by the Sutton Veny Flower Show.

The revamped hall will serve villagers as a community venue, available for village meetings, private parties, fundraising events and classes.