Embedded Files
The photos and newspaper cuttings here came from scrapbooks kept by Marion Owen (née Smith)
during her lifetime and kindly lent to us by her son Phil.
During the War (WW II), small dances were held by the Spridlington Home Guard to raise money for the purchase of a piano. On 11th July 1941, having raised all they needed, the organisers agreed to pass on the proceeds of the dance (£1 11s 6d) to five Welton girls, who were present, on condition that they made good use of it. One of those girls was Marion Owen; the others were Mary Walker (later Lister), Vera Boulton (later May), Mrs W Wright and Miss Olive Burkett. The girls took the money and opened a PO savings account for a Village Hall Fund.
On 25th October 1941, at a public meeting, the vicar, Mr Farr, spoke of the need for a hall and urging that it should belong to the whole community. A committee was formed to raise funds and met two days later. An Entertainments sub-committee was then formed, which set a target of £1,000.
How the hall appeared in 1948 - drawn by Brian Dawson from a photograph.
How the hall appeared in 1948 - drawn by Brian Dawson from a photograph.
In 1945, shortly after VE Day, a public meeting decided, due to the shortage of building materials, to ask for one of the decommissioned buildings from RAF Dunholme Lodge. This turned out to be two Nissen huts, formerly the WAAF dining hall.
The original village hall, opened on 30th April 1948, was two de-commissioned RAF Nissen huts, which can just be made out in these old photographs.
By 1949, £750 had been raised to buy the land from local farmer Bill Glew. One of the old buildings and its fixtures was sold off but the other hut remained and served as the village hall until 1962, when the brand-new hall was opened, paid for by a government grant of £2,000 and much public fundraising.
The nissen hut can still be seen behind the current building. These days it’s used only for storage and its future is uncertain but it has certainly provided sterling service.
The opening week’s programme for the new hall, in April 1962, included a social evening, three whist drives, dancing to Tony Storr and the Clubmen, a domino drive and a variety concert by Welton Amateur Dramatic Society.
Extensions to the hall were added in the 1970s and the 1990s, enabling even more activities to take place.
Over the years, much of the communal life of Welton has taken place in the hall and many Welton residents will have memories of family celebrations, social events, dramatic performances, the village pantomime and any number of clubs and societies.
Times and entertainment tastes have changed but the village hall remains a central part of village life, serving the great-grandchildren of those eager wartime teenagers.
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