Tolpuddle Village Hall
A Modern Community Facility || Available for Private Hire
Tolpuddle Village Hall was originally the Victorian village school and this attractive building, set in its own walled garden and with ample parking nearby, has served as the village hall in Tolpuddle since the 1960s.
In the last five years (2018-2022), it has been given a major makeover and now offers the following:
Expanded in size
Modern, fully equipped kitchen/servery
New toilets with disabled access
New entrance allowing disabled access
Wi-fi
New heating system
New curtains and blinds
Audio/Visual facilities
Table tennis table
New chairs and tables.
The Hall can comfortably accommodate 40-50 people seated for meals or meetings, up to 60 for talks, lectures etc or 75+ for parties, dances etc.
Interested in Hiring?
Our charges are very competitive and inclusive of access to all the facilities (wi-fi, audio-visual, garden etc) and basic kitchen use (ie kettles, cups, glasses, cutlery, fridge). There is a modest additional charge per hire (to cover extra cleaning) for full use of the kitchen which adds use of the range cooker and a commercial dishwasher (90 second cycle).
For prices and bookings, please contact:
Jo and Julie on tolpuddlevhinfo@gmail.com
Please click here for the Booking Website for the Village Hall
Who Manages the Hall?
The Hall is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity Number 1195647) run by a committee of trustees. Current trustees are: Peter Walton, Jonathan Van Baars, Nick Batchelor, Barbara Holtom, Penny Ruddock, Andrew Turner, Margaret Walton and Fiona Cope. The Trustees have appointed from among their number a Chairman (Peter Walton), a Treasurer (Andrew Turner) and a Secretary (Jonathan Van Baars).
The Trustees are charged with ensuring the charity achieves its object: "the provision and maintenance of a village hall for the use of the inhabitants of the Parish of Tolpuddle without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, nationality or race or political, religious or other opinions, including use for meetings, lectures and classes and other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants." Every year, as required by the Charity Commission, the Trustees produce an Annual Report and Accounts which are independently verified. They also hold an Annual General Meeting open to Tolpuddle residents who are encouraged to offer views on any changes they wish to see in the running of the Hall.
Hall Finances
The Hall needs to raise £5,000 - 6,000 per year to cover running and maintenance costs, with any major new investments / works requiring special fund-raising. The Trustees’ policy is:
• to invest where we can to improve the facility for the benefit of Tolpuddle residents and to make it attractive for private and commercial hire;
• to raise as much as possible of the revenues needed each year from commercial hire and outside sources, so that charges for residents can be kept as low as possible.
The village is fortunate to have the Martyrs Festival each year which brings several thousand people to the village in July. Jointly with the Church, we offer various catering services over the course of the weekend and this makes a major contribution to our annual funding. Beyond that our policy is that all events at the Hall should make some contribution to its costs (at least the equivalent of hire charges), though we are flexible about sharing any surpluses from community events at the Hall, many of which are now organised by the Tolpuddle Events Committee.
For more information please click here for the Village Hall website
