Once Alcester Town Council had been given a lease on the Hall from Stratford-on-Avon District Council, in 2021, work on the refurbishment of the Hall could begin in earnest. The programme was overseen by the Town Council’s Greig Hall Working Group* on which two places were reserved for the Friends of the Greig. A Building Sub-Group** provided more specialist input and programme management for the wide-ranging building works.
The Sub-Group quickly established that the building was structurally sound (although some wet rot in timbers was discovered during roof works) but that a number of dated elements needed renewal, most notably the heating and the related insulation of the building. Whilst a combination of assistance with labour and materials and grants was able to tackle much of the required works, the new heating installation – air-sourced heatpump units – needed an injection of public loan finance which, with community support, was arranged by the Town Council. The Friends of the Greig fundraised over £100,000 in support of the refurbishment. Around £450,000 has been reinvested in the Hall to bring it closer to 21st century standards. Whilst there are some improvements still needed, the building itself can now be used to fundraise. A roll call of all those to whom the Mayor at the official reopening expressed gratitude for their contribution is appended here.
Although a great deal of the new work is hidden – rewiring, replumbing, roof and wall insulation – or discrete – the ceiling heating blowers, the renovated floors, the new fire doors, the refurbished bars – the new decor and furnishings, the kitchen equipment, new signage and the stage sound, lighting and projection equipment have impressed all our visitors and audiences, as reviews on Facebook, Google and the like attest. The official reopening in February 2023 was supported by Bloor Homes, the Hall refurbishment having benefitted from planning infrastructure funds from their new housing development off the Birmingham Road.
The Hall has a solid start to its next 65 years.
* The Working Group was chaired, in turn, by Cllr Mike Gittus, Cllr Andrew Foster and Cllr Mark Cargill.
** The Building Sub-Group was chaired by Andrew Matheson from the Friends of the Greig with Cllr Mike Bowe as the Town Council representative.