BETHLEHEM HALL
Thanks and Summer Events Firstly, on behalf of the Management Team and Directors, I'd like to thank everyone who attended the AGM last week. As it was such a fine evening we decided to hold the meeting outside, where we all enjoyed some lovely sunshine.
We had some very positive feedback, and extremely heart warming comments on how the hall is developing, along with relevant questions. It was great to see from the accounts that we have now put the very difficult Covid period behind us, and that in the financial year 2022/23, the hall managed to make a small, but respectable profit of £759.
I'm not going to pretend that this was easy, it took a lot of work, and some lateral thinking, to get the hall back on a steadier financial footing again, along with a policy of wasting as few resources - and as little money - as possible. But the upshot is that as long as we continue both promoting our unique little hall as much as possible, and keep holding the popular community events, then we very much look forward to the year ahead with confidence.
So a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the hall over the last year, and indeed over the previous two very challenging years. It is down to you, your support for the quiz, the suppers, the community get togethers, the takeaways you bought, the drinks you bought from the bar, that bowl of cawl that warmed you up in December, the times you hired the hall for the birthday party, music rehearsal, friends get together or for a meeting.
Our regular users - Yoga, the Starry Stitchers, Women's Circle and the Community Council play a vital role in the life of the hall., and we very much value their support. on a weekly and monthly basis. All of these have helped get us back to where we need to be, felly diolch o galon i chi gyd!
As for the next few months, we are really looking forward to holding a few Community Social Evenings where everyone is invited to drop in to catch up with friends and neighbours, enjoy a drink and a chat, maybe play some cards, darts, outdoor (if the weather allows) games for the kids, just relaxed and friendly gatherings which have worked well over the last twelve months. If they prove successful, then it would be great to carry them on through the autumn and winter.
Bar Bethlehem is now always kept very well stocked with a good selection of wines, beers, ciders, gins in tins, quality soft drinks, and crisps. So coming along to a social gathering, buying a drink or two, chatting to some neighbours, and generally making use of a valuable community resource, will be a great (and fairly painless!) way of keeping the hall alive and kicking for the foreseeable future.
The Bethlehem Boxes Sunday Takeaway will be running again this summer. It was an idea that really took off during lockdowns and restrictions, and even last summer when regular hospitality was open normally again, it proved extremely popular, so it has certainly played a significant part in terms of fundraising for the hall.
The Bethlehem Boxes will be back in late June with all the popular meals - savoury tarts, Italian platters, Fishermans Platters, the veggie pate platter, and the all time best seller of the Farmers Platters, along with weekly Specials. As before, there'll be a few sweet treats as well, so look out for the start date and the weekly options.
And so, once again, we are hoping that you can come up with some ideas for using this amazing little hall - we ask every year! If you have a hobby, interest or pastime and you think the hall might be able to play a part in some way, just ask. If you're planning a small family get-together and think it might be easier to hold it in the hall, please get in touch. If you have a lightbulb moment with inspiration for a community event, then contact us!
We are, clearly, limited in terms of the space we have available inside the hall, and parking is difficult, so large, grandiose events might not be the best option for Bethlehem. Simple ideas which the community can get behind seem to work well for us. We keep our hire fees low in order to help more people use the place. We are, after all, a charity.
Of course we have to cover our increasingly high outgoings and overheads, and we absolutely need to ensure that we have a financial cushion in case of unforeseen expenditure, but it isn't within our remit to operate as a commercial enterprise. We are simply trying to meet our costs, and to keep keep the little hall open, and frequently used, as well as in good shape for the future, so it can be of benefit to the local community and to people from further afield for many years to come.
Diolch unwaith eto.
Nia a'r criw
niaclement@aol.com - 01550 777254
|
