Crawford Memorial Hall
Bidford-on-Avon Parish Council and the Crawford Memorial Hall Committee are pleased to announce the final stages of the refurbishment of the Crawford Memorial Hall.
Following a survey carried out earlier in the year, it became apparent that having a cinema facility in the village would be welcome by all – young and old alike.
With this in mind, the Parish Council, with the support of the Crawford Memorial Hall Committee, approached BIFFAWARD to look into the possibility of part of the grant being used to purchase and install modern cinema equipment in the main hall, which would greatly enhance its facilities. BIFFAWARD gave this request due consideration agreed that the grant could be used.
The inaugural Rural Cinema night was on 16 November 2007, and the film chosen was one for all the family – Shrek 3.
The Parish Council and the Crawford Memorial Hall Committee would like to express their appreciation to BIFFAWARD, and Louise Boffey of the Warwickshire Environmental Trust, for making this possible.
The Crawford Memorial Hall is, in effect, the village hall, and is used by many village groups as well as for private parties, weddings, and the like. The hall is also used for elections, village meetings, concerts, and by the health centre for flu jab sessions, etc.
The hall is run by a volunteer management committee, with members from the Parish Council, the WI, British Legion, Bowling Club, Tennis Club and from the public. The Booking Secretary/Caretaker is Mr Peter Warwick and he deals with the day-to-day running of the hall.
The management committee is continually trying to improve the hall and its facilities. Recent improvements include the surfacing of the car park with tarmacadam (gone are the potholes and puddles!), the refurbishment of the toilets and the installation of a toilet for disabled users, a wheelchair friendly access, improved heating and repainting the kitchen.
The hall is greatly used by the community. Regular users of the building include the Gardening Society, the WI, The Goslings Mother & Toddler group, adult art classes, flower arranging group, dance classes for children and adults, and keep fit classes including aerobics and pilates. The management committee helped by several other volunteers runs a fortnightly bingo session which is very much enjoyed by an enthusiastic and loyal group of players. New players are always very welcome. All the profits go into the 'refurbishment' kitty. An annual village quiz is very much looked forward to and is very well supported by teams from the community. The Stratford Wind Band is to give its second concert in the hall in November and promises to be as good an evening as the first in 2002.
Adjacent to the Crawford Memorial Hall are the Bowling Club and the Tennis Club and they share the spacious car park. As well as being represented on the hall management committee the two clubs have their own committees to manage their premises and arrange fixtures. Both clubs have a good number of members but always welcome interest from prospective new members.
The Crawford Memorial Hall is a registered charity and is run for the village by villagers. All villagers are entitled to stand for the committee and new support is always very welcome. Village organisations including the three churches are also entitled to be represented on the management committee. The aim of the management committee is to make the hall a community centre in the true sense of the word and members work hard to make the hall as welcoming as possible to users.
The hall has a bar licence so is the ideal venue for dances and parties.
In addition to the main hall for larger parties, meetings etc, there is also a smaller, self contained room which is ideal for meetings and parties of smaller numbers. The room has its own unisex toilet, kitchenette and an entrance which is wheelchair/pushchair friendly. This small room can be booked separately from the main hall. However, this smaller meeting room, and the adjoining room, can also be used in conjunction with the main hall and its stage as a dressing room for concerts, plays etc.
We are also pleased to advise that the main hall is now equipped with a hearing loop system
Crawford Memorial Hall,
Salford Road,
Bidford-on-Avon,
Warwickshire
Senior Citizens' Party
In January 2008, Bidford's senior residents enjoyed a party, which took place at the Crawford Memorial Hall. As you can see, a great time was had by all.
