Hear from Village Hall volunteer, Doug Allan, as he reflects on his role as Trustee of Topcliffe & Asenby Village Hall.

My name is Doug Allan and I am 75 years of age. I am a Trustee of Topcliffe & Asenby Village Hall, which is located in Topcliffe near Thirsk. I have been on the Village Hall Committee for eleven years and I have no specific title but tend to be a general ‘dogs body’, organising a wide range of fundraising events and undertaking lots of tasks that help the hall run smoothly.

The Big Project

In 2014 the Village Hall Committee embarked upon an ambitious plan to extend and refurbish the premises. I was asked to join the committee in a co-opted capacity to lead on raising the huge amount of funding to enable the development to proceed. The total investment was over £140,000, most of which was grant-aided by a wide range of organisations and by local community fundraising.

Fundraising Success

The major refurbishment was completed in 2016 and by that time I had effectively been embedded in the committee and was persuaded to remain as a member. Over the years we have raised thousands for Village Hall funds by organising events including the annual Race Night (the one held in February this year raised £3,500), bringing bands to perform in the hall and lots, lots more.

Village Events

Being retired obviously means that I have the time to invest in helping and supporting the Village Hall, which I believe is an invaluable community hub. It is great to be a part of the committee and to ensure that the facility is available to villagers and people from further afield to organise a fantastic variety of activities, including our extremely successful Warm Hub lunches, bingo sessions, scouts/cubs/squirrels meetings, knit & natter sessions, boccia, art classes, weekly quiz, a wide range of Christmas activities and many private party hires.

Why volunteering matters

I have enjoyed volunteering within the community in which I live and socialise. Through the Village Hall I have made many new friends and have thoroughly enjoyed keeping busy and organising events for everyone to enjoy…whilst at the same time raising the much-needed funds that help secure the future viability of our community hub.

Find out more about Village Halls Week 2025 and how to become a volunteer.