News : May 2007
New lease of life for Llanegryn village hall!
Neuadd Egryn in Llanegryn has been given a new lease of life with the support of the Peter Saunders Trust and funding from the Big Lottery, National Assembly of Wales, the Arts Council for Wales and Gwynedd Council.The Peter Saunders Trust has stepped up and donated a grant of up to £20,000 so that the local hall can have smart new chairs, two large park benches, a notice board and the ‘piece de resistance’ the new sign on the front of the building.
The local village hall was constructed in the 1950s and has gradually become the centre of the village as other facilities have closed. To continue to be an integral part of village life the hall needed a full refurbishment and removal of asbestos. The project has taken four years from the planning stage to completion.
The Peter Saunders Trust has worked closely with the Committee and commissioned the Cardiff designer Vyvyan Davies to create the sign. The Trust wanted the sign to reflect the music and dance that takes place within the hall.
Commenting on the sign, Peter Saunders says ‘I am passionate about good design and believe in its power to lift the spirits. The sign is a good example as its flowing letters are suggestive of singing and dancing. They also have a childlike quality that reflects the use of the hall by the village school for performing arts.’
The Village Hall Management Committee consists of approximately 13 members at this time and has been running since the opening of the hall. The present chairperson Avril Micah says ‘we are very fortunate and extremely grateful to the Peter Saunders Trust but in particular to Peter himself who has taken a keen personal interest in the project and has spent a lot of time attending meetings and giving suggestions.’
The Committee hopes the village hall will continue to be successful and the modernisation of stage equipment will entice the theatre groups to return.
The official opening by Sulwyn Jones, a long standing Committee Member, of the new Neuadd Egryn will take place at 2pm on Saturday 12th May. Everyone is welcome and there will be various events going on through the afternoon.