The Trust was founded on 13 December 1919 when William Henry Bishop of Farley Court, Farley Hill, gave the land and the hall to the inhabitants of Farley Hill. The first Trustees were all from Farley Hill.
The original document was an ‘indenture‘.
The Trust became a Charitable Trust in 1963.
The Victory Hall Trust is a registered Charitable Trust (Charity Commission number 220940) that holds the hall and land in trust for the inhabitants of Farley Hill. The Trust is managed by elected managing trustees (who serve a three year term and are unpaid) and there are also two holding trustees (purely for legal reasons of property ownership).
Since the Trustees took over in October 2010 after a public meeting, much has changed for the better at the hall. Back then there was no heating, rotten windows, an unusable kitchen and a leaking roof. We fixed all that and more, see the list below.
All the funds we receive from hiring, donations and grants are invested in the hall. We have improved the hall immensely since taking over its management in October 2010.
| 2025 | November – improvements to the kitchen doors (one new, one re-hung). October – re-turfed the garden to restore it following the septic tank installation. September – new doors custom made and fitted for the front door and the garage. August – new septic tank installed in the garden to replace the original one which was was damaged and not repairable. April – new edging fitted to the bowling green ends to replace the rotten wood. January – Repainted most of the hall – all looking fresh and clean for our users. Also raised the crowns on some of the trees that were encroaching over the car park and bowls green. |
| 2024 | July – Another annual maintenance day saw lots of work done by volunteers to keep the hall in top condition May – Resurface the area around the hall and garage and install a pergola, seating and planters. March – Resurface and mark the car park. We now have 36 marked spaces, including 2 for disabled drivers. February – Acoustic panelling added to ceiling to reduce the reverberation in the hall. This will reduce the noise level when the hall is busy. New online booking system for weekend bookings and a completely rebuilt web site went live. |
| 2023 | August – Rebuilding of the toilets including the addition of a disabled toilet, funded by a grant from BiffaAward. New fire alarms with linked detectors and call buttons. July – Upgraded the fibre connection to 1 Gbps, courtesy of Gigaclear. Vic the vacuum robot started work. |
| 2022 | June – Repainted the entrance corridor inside & out, repainted the Bishop room and touched-up elsewhere. |
| 2021 | December – Replastered the entrance corridor ceiling. |
| 2020 | April – Replastered and redecorated the changing rooms. |
| 2019 | May – New furniture, 12 folding tables and 69 stacking chairs to replace the non-folding/stacking wooden ones. |
| 2018 | October – New flooring, Wilton Axminster carpet in the main hall and Bishop room plus Karndean oak planking for the dance floor. Thanks to both companies and those that laid the flooring for their excellent prices and service. September – Major interior refurbishment, new moulded panelling in the main hall, painting the hall, bar and Bishop room in shades of grey. February – Removal of a brick pillar and installation of a 7.6m steel beam, to open up the main hall and give a more flexible space. |
| 2017 | March – A spring clean, some re-painting, repairs and improvements. |
| 2016 | March – A quick re-paint of high wear areas and some repairs. |
| 2015 | November – New five-bar gate and pedestrian gate by back door. New speakers in main hall. Lots of maintenance jobs done. September – Upgraded to an HD projector – fantastic picture (the rugby was just a coincidence!). June – Just added a new LED light to the entrance corridor, which can be dimmed for parties. February – The work is complete and the hall looks fantastic, much as it would have done when it was built. The original ceiling, new lights, more radiators and fresh painting throughout have truly transformed the hall. January – Work to remove the suspended ceiling in the main hall, renew the original vaulted ceiling and fit new lights throughout the hall. |
| 2014 | 01Mar was a work day at the hall. We removed old trees and added new fencing and hedging in the garden – now much tidier and brighter. Plus many other jobs and lunch! January – New back door and ramp. Quite a few hall hires this month. |
| 2013 | November – Fitted a new alarm system. September – Finished attic insulation, fitted a new floodlight and completed some painting and cleaning. Thanks to all the volunteers. August – Completed the garden, new fence, turf laid. An excellent amenity for events. May – Wi-Fi, the hall now has access to the internet! April – The new roof is now complete, together with insulation and guttering. Thanks to Biffa Award and the FHVS for the funds plus Phoenix Roofing for a great job. February – New tables and chairs for the Snooker Room. New plates and bowls for the kitchen. Corridor and boiler rgot new shelving. Having sorted insurance, contract and Building Regulations, we expect work on the new roof to start w/c 04 March. Hall open as usual throughout. |
| 2012 | October – The snooker room and kitchen refurbishments are almost finished – just a few small jobs left. If you have not seen them recently, do drop by one Friday evening. September – We have been conditionally awarded the grant for the roof. The main condition is that the FHVS raise 10% of the amount, which is now in progress. Please buy some raffle tickets! August – Kitchen refurbishment started. ‘Awards For All’ grant now fully spent and closed. July – Cavity walls insulated! Snooker room in progress. June – Snooker room refurbishment – started. Cavity wall insulation ordered. April – New consumer unit installed in bar. Bar redecorated. AGM was held on 20th. |
| 2011 | November – The main hall was repainted (by volunteers) and the electrics updated. September – A new underground gas tank and combi boiler were installed. 11 windows replaced June – Awarded a grant of £10,000 by Awards for All (Big Lottery) |
| 2010 | October – Trustees elected for the first time in many years, who then took over executive management of the hall.
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