​Kirsty

Vice Chairman

Evelyn

Regular User Liaison

Barbara

Madley Church Representative

Lizzy

Treasurer

Craig
Friend of Madley Parish Hall

Nick
Secretary & Booking Officer

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Our History

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The original Madley Parish Hall was built in 1929 on land owned by the Church of England and funded by subscription from the people of Madley. A large framed notice in the hall dating from about 1930 shows a list of contributors and the amounts they gave, varying from one shilling to the grand sum of £100. – a great deal of money at that time. The length of the list testifies to the breadth of local interest, which has continued over the years, sustaining a facility indispensable for meeting many of the needs of the community.

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As the largest contributions came from the local minister and from people connected with the church, it was natural for the administration to be run by the Madley Parochial Church Council. This body successfully ran the Parish hall for the next sixty five years, before handing it over to the local Parish Council. Fairly soon after this, changes to the constitutions and funding of parish councils made it impractical to continue this arrangement and in 1994, the owners, the Hereford Diocesan Board of Finance set up the present independent Madley Parish Hall Committee and leased the hall and its grounds to that body, giving it full rights to manage the assets, but reserving such matters as disposal or development to itself.

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Later that year, extensive refurbishment and some extension of the parish hall were undertaken, resulting in a hall of considerable size, easily the largest within a 15 mile radius and offering facilities such as a large auditorium with stage and well fitted kitchen, bar and toilet block consistent with the standards prevailing at the time. In the fifteen years since then, a revolution has occurred in standards of lighting and heating. The days of wasteful tungsten lighting have passed and the use of storage heaters and radiant electric fires has been overtaken by efficient modern central heating and the employment of environmentally friendly heat sources.

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The Parish Hall Committee has been subject to many changes of personnel during those fifteen years, with varying degrees of activity of its leading lights. The pace of improvement quickened noticeably in the last four years, with extensive interior redecoration and hanging of pictures in the main hall and the change to fluorescent lighting throughout. Facilities for the disabled have also improved, particularly since the installation of a ramp and improved fire escape facilities. In 2010 gas fired central heating was added and the hall double glazed and extensively insulated. The programme of improvement continues.

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Management Organisation

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Under the Constitution, Parish Hall is leased to the Madley Parish Hall Management Committee by the owners, the Hereford Diocesan Board of Finance. This committee has full rights and responsibilities for managing and maintaining the hall and its finances. The hall receives no subsidies from the Church or from any local authority and must manage entirely on rental income.

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The Committee should consist of a chairman, secretary, treasurer and booking secretary plus other members. The maximum number allowed under the constitution is seventeen. Five members, including two officers constitute a quorum. The non-officer members are chiefly representatives of user organisations, which under the constitution may submit one or two members for election.

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The day to day running of the affairs of the hall are managed by the secretary and the treasurer, with supervision from the chairman and overall scrutiny by the committee at its bimonthly meetings. Representatives of all user groups are invited to attend meetings, quite apart from those on the committee ex officio. The Church has the right to be represented on the committee and also to use the Hall free of charge on a number of Sundays each year.

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All committee members are unpaid volunteers.

We urgently need volunteers from the 1100 odd residents of Madley to help us run the hall.

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The committee employs no paid staff, though private outside contractors or individuals may be engaged for specific work.

Accounts and financial matters are managed by the treasurer, all transactions and transfers of monies requiring two signatures – those of the chairman and the treasurer. Accounts are audited and end-of-year financial statements prepared by our accountants. N.R. Evans and Co.

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