Hall History

Woodbridge Community Hall was opened on 17 January 1981.

In 1966 a survey had been carried out by Woodbridge Community Council (WCC), a registered charity, to seek the wishes of local people on recreational and sporting facilities.  Top of their wish list was an indoor heated swimming pool, followed by a community hall.  Over the following fifteen years WCC raised £26,445 towards the £64,445 needed for construction of the pool, which was opened in 1973.

Fund raising then continued through wide ranging activities to produce £82,698 of the £128,350 cost of building the community hall. Initially the Hall was operated by WCC, but an independent Management Committee was subsequently formed as a separate charity, to carry out all aspects of the running of the facility.  The volunteer members were to be responsible for lettings, wages, maintenance, repairs and setting hire charges.

The original Lease Trust Deed stipulated that the Hall would be for the use of local people “without distinction of political, religious, or any other opinions including use for meetings, lectures, classes and for other forms of recreational and leisure time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants”.

Many improvements have been made to the Hall since it was built. The Deben Annexe and Hutchinson Room were added and the kitchen extended in 1999. The Hall now has a blackout system, an induction hearing loop system, a four metre projection screen, and an electric chair lift. Solar panels were installed in 2011.