Trustees of Bourton Village Hall have been using the lockdowns to transform its interior.

They were finding quotes for a full refurbishment of the hall when the first lockdown was announced, and potential funding of all kinds dried up. However, with the hall closed, they realised they had a ‘marvellous, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redecorate and freshen up the interior’.

They said: “We are a self-motivated bunch, all ‘of a certain age’, and, having arrived in Bourton after careers ranging from aerospace, rail engineering, high-end jewellery retailing and a senior artillery officer, between us we could bring many skills, and one of every tool a self-respecting men’s shed could possibly want.

“Curtains were cleaned, stud frames constructed, some 100sq metres of plaster board lifted into place and secured with a million screws (it felt like it) and as our aches and pains were magnified and our creaking joints became subjects for earnest discussion, we were starting to feel rather pleased with ourselves.”

The project hit a crisis when the wooden floor expanded due to heavy rain. But after a few days removing, planing, cutting and refitting planks, the floor was restored.

The trustees added: “We’re not quite ready for the Grand Reopening, that’s a few months away yet, I fear. But, when we are permitted to reopen, I am sure everyone who ventures into Bourton Village Hall will be impressed by the transformation.”

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