A MAJOR project to resurface the car park at Bentley Village Hall has finally been completed – thanks to a massive community effort and a little help from the National Lottery.
It was back in September 2018 that the village hall committee heard they’d been successful in their bid for £10,000 under the Lottery’s ‘Awards for All’ initiative.
To this was added more money from local county councillor Kit Taylor’s divisional funds, Bentley Pauncefoot Parish Council and the village hall itself.
The hall is the only public meeting place in the largely rural and agricultural community situated between Redditch and Bromsgrove.
It has no shop, no pub or public transport service which has meant the hall plays a vital roll in the community for both young and old supporting various organisations and activities such as table tennis, Tai Chi, art groups, the WI and several farming groups.
The hall is also the venue for the parish council and serves as a polling station during national and local elections and as such is very much an amenity which “brings people together and builds strong relationships across the communities,” said committee member Jeremy Fish.
“The old car park was riddled with potholes and was only half covered with asphalt which was broken up in places which made it difficult to walk on, especially for the elderly.”
The new car park not only improves access for the elderly but now also provides parking for the disabled.
