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Chairman, treasurer, booking clerk, general repairman and licencee of Santon Downham village hall was Andrew Kedar. Other key figures in the Village Hall's management included Val Marsh, Brenda Largent and Marilyn Boulton.
Andrew described the running of the old Hall in an interview in October 1999 .
The Village Hall operates as a charity, and fund raising is needed to keep it going. Car boot sales have been an essential part of this in recent years. "Without these annual events - about six a year - the village hall would be insolvent," said Andrew.
When the hall opened, the village was almost entirely populated by people who worked in the forest. "It was a time before television was strong, it was a time before cars were common, it was a time when people made their own entertainment," said Andrew. There was a small drama group here, there was a Women's Institute and there may have been other active bodies back in the 50s and 60s. Through time they've gradually faded away.
The hall is used roughly 12 times in a month - mostly private events in the evenings. There are wedding receptions occasionally, baptism parties, birthday parties, a weekly line dancing club and darts matches. A new youth club is being set up.
In time people in the village wanted to form a members-only club with a licenced bar and the Brecklands Club was set up. This was given about a third of the hall, which was walled off to become the Club.
The Club is now very strong and has grown in size, with a new modern building in place of the old part of the wooden hut.
"But the Village Hall end will also be rebuilt as well," said Andrew. "We have permission to rebuild it - but we do not have the money. Something in the region of £60,000-65,000 needs to be raised, and there is a grant of £28,000 available from the District Council if the rest of the money is in place".
"There is no chance of raising the rest of the money inside the village," said Andrew. An appeal has been made to the Lottery Commission Charities Board. "If we can get that, then the District Council grant will follow and we should be able to rebuild."
Through the Village Hall, Santon Downham also hosts an annual major event which raises money for a children's hospice. This is an annual sponsored bike ride in May, which raised £33,000 in 1999. Scout groups also meet sometimes at the hall for special events, and girl guides from outside the village recently raised £3,000 by a sponsored walk, in and around the village area. "These are just some of the events, but we could do with more of them," said Andrew.
Income from the lettings of the Hall is not enough to do any more than just survive, said Andrew, and so car boot sales are now held every month in summer. The Village Hall charges a fee for the pitch and sells teas and cakes donated by villagers.
In 1999, £1,120 was raised after expenses - the best total yet, helped by good weather. "We continue to struggle with the money. It is adequate, but there is not a lot of surplus," says Andrew, " and we will now hope that the Lottery Commission Charities Board will come up with some money for us."
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