Farewell to the Old Village Hall

An impromptu rendering of ‘Swing low, sweet chariot” by Colin Leggat of ‘Honking Dog’, opened the proceedings, with total audience participation! An unusual start, but it did put us all in the mood to enjoy an evening of fun and nostalgia. Needless to say the hall was packed to the gunnels with a waiting list for tickets, which is perhaps an indication of just why we need a new centre in which to meet!

We must all congratulate David Abson, under whose production the evening took shape, with new acts and well-loved favourites. David himself excelled again with his ‘sermon’, even though there was ‘a curate in the house’! It was good to see Jan and Nigel joining in the spirit of things! Jim and the lovely Bev James, that well known trombonist, of Hat Trick fame, raised the tone, as usual – “This isn’t a pantomime you know!” “Oh yes it is” cried the audience! Jean Cockett, always excellent, gave us ‘When I grow old I’ll wear shocking pink’ (sorry, ‘purple’) and what a very tolerant teacher she would have been, though I just cannot imagine her ‘spitting’! Keith Harris and Glen Bryan did the ‘one-legged man auditioning for the role of Tarzan’ sketch, which very nearly brought the house down. Its always funny!

Of course, being Lenham, and we are a wonderfully musical village, we had quiet interludes with Doreen and Bev Hone’s delightful singing and guitarist, Roger Risdon with ‘Shadow of the Past’ – fond memories of ‘the Shads’, and no doubt Saturday night hops in the village hall for the ‘Young Ones’. We also had ‘real’ actors with ‘Kent Countryside Productions’ performing ‘As Shakespeare wouldn’t like it”.

Then something to bring the men to their feet with enthusiasm. Not Queen Gertrude but Sue Bonds, very tongue in cheek, read us extracts from a magazine of its time – “Good Wives’ Guide”. We should now all know how to ‘stand by our man’!

Finally, Ria Dunmill and Harriet Hancock, joined by Michael Jackson, otherwise known as Michael Hancock gave us ‘Thrillers’, including a ‘moon walk’. The inclusion of these young people in the programme is perhaps what the building of a new community centre represents. It represents the future.

Roy Gill, Chairman of the Parish Hall Committee, in his final thanks to the cast and audience acknowledged that the evening had a ‘bitter-sweet’ quality. We were all understandably sad to see the hall go but it was not bricks and mortar that held a village together. The people who entered the village hall doors had made things happen and the new centre’s success would be dependent upon people entering new doors. Its success or failure was dependent upon the people of Lenham.

The last concert to be held in Lenham Village Hall raised £1,500 towards the new Community Centre

Thanks to those who managed to get a ticket and for contributing so generously. We managed to raise money ‘like an Appleton’!

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