COMMUNITY -- Aston Ingham is a small rural community of fewer than 400 inhabitants, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in community spirit. Following the closure of the village school in 1982, the focus of the village had to take a new direction. When the Women's Institute handed over their hall to the village in January 1983 the newly-formed village hall committee took on a positive role in bringing together the residents with a variety of social events. The village hall was built in 1927 and is an attractive cedar clad building which harmonises with its rural surroundings. A certain amount of upgrading has been carried out over the past 70 years - modern indoor sanitation replaced some truly horrific outside toilets, gas heaters gave way to electricity and a modern but small kitchen was created. However, the hall is now in constant use and the present committee members realised the need for an extension programme of refurbishment and upgrading to meet present day legal requirements. The committee first sought, and was granted, an awards for all grant. Under the energetic and tireless leadership of the chairman, Derek Martyn, the committee then used some of the grant to canvass every household in the village with a questionnaire. This sought the views of the residents on what they saw as the future needs of the village and how best to accommodate those needs, either within the existing building or in a completely new hall. It soon became clear that villagers wished to keep the original building and extend it, rather than replace it. Following the analysis of the questionnaire further monies from the grant were used to employ an architect, Mr J Clarke and a quantity surveyor, Mr D John whose remit was to survey the hall and draw up plans for the extension works. An open meeting was then called, at which the plans were on show and a number of options were put forward and a vote taken. As a result, the committee was given the task of seeking funding for a plan costing £179,000. This was to include altering the existing entrance and putting it at the side of the hall away from the main road through the village, building new toilets, including disabled facilities, a new committee room, moving the kitchen and creating more storage space. At this time a planning application was submitted to Herefordshire Council and this has now been granted. Anyone who has tried applying for grants will know that the real work had now begun! A huge number of man hours is needed just to fill in the initial form, which may then be returned several times with a request for further information. Derek has carried out the brunt of this work, together with the secretary, Janet Potter and treasurer, Jean Parsons, and it is now bringing in positive results. To date, the grants have been promised as follows:- The Herefordshire Council £25,000, Aston Ingham Parish Council £1,500, the Eveson Trust £4,000 to be used on the disabled facilities in the plan. The Countryside Agency has awarded £25,000 to help provide new services for the elderly, the young and the disabled. The village hall has also enrolled as a member of Entrust, an environmental body. This membership gained access to the Severn Waste Environmental Fund and a grant of £19,000 has been awarded. SWEF is the fund established with financial contributions from the local waste management company Severn Waste Services, under the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme. The fund is managed by Welcome to Our Future (local agenda 21). The application for a grant from the Community Fund is now being processed. Without this grant the scheme as it stands cannot be carried out, so it's fingers crossed by everyone! The grants, however, are dependent on the village raising a proportion of the total cost and the committee set themselves the task of putting on fund-raising events that would attract the support of the village. In this they have been extremely successful and so far have raised £7,000 of the £17,000 needed. Events have been as diverse as a village New Year party with entertainment by Keith Sandall, a very popular race night, musical evenings, a Summer barbecue, which again attracted a great crowd and a village grand draw. Plans are already in hand for events for this year and will include a promise auction, possibly another race night and a summer barbecue and grand draw. As already mentioned, the whole project is dependent on gaining the grant from the community fund, which will form the greatest part of the finance. Meantime, the committee and officers will continue to fill in forms and arrange events because the support received from the villagers for all their work has been more than generous. It is the intention of everyone to succeed in this project, so that a village hall with excellent facilities is provided for generations to come.