Tower and Town, June 2024 (view the full edition)The Village HallLike many village halls across the country, we have a rich and chequered history but always at the heart of everything we do is the concept of meeting the needs of the villagers of Manton and the residents of Preshute Parish. 'Manton Rooms' was indentured to the village in 1908 and became known as 'Manton Reading Rooms' for 'purposes of Recreation or Instruction or for Meetings or other like purposes'. The current building which was once described to me as looking like a very large shed, because it is wood clad, was built by soldiers returning from World War I and offered them a meeting space, a place to come together, and hopefully that is a role it still performs today. We are fortunate that the hall operates at almost maximum capacity. Various activities are run either by individuals or groups; we currently have three different Pilates teachers, yoga, Scottish dancing, Rainbows and Manton Preschool. The organised activities are important but equally as important is the fact that the hall is a local venue that all villagers can use for social gatherings, be they private parties, village quizzes and drinks parties, St George's Church functions or Preshute Parish Council meetings. Information can be found on our website https://mvhwilts.org.uk. To say that the hall is just a building is to devalue the work that the hall committee members carry out because they are involved, and often the instigators, of so much in the village. We have quarterly village newsletters, with articles written by a wide variety of contributors covering local issues, gardening, medical advice and social events, edited, produced and distributed to every home by members of the committee. We run a monthly village lottery which raises funds to maintain the fabric of the hall, allowing us to redecorate most summers and ensure that the building is energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Lastly, a lot of people probably associate Manton with our summer music festival - Mantonfest, which is in its 15th year and was the brainchild of then chair of the hall trustees, Stuart Whant and a committee member, Roger Grant. Little did we know that the concert that we organised in the pub garden all those years ago would become a popular Wiltshire music event attracting hundreds of festival-goers. Manton is a small village and has been part of the Marlborough civil parish since 1934 but it retains that 'village' feel which is what makes it a great place to live. Nicki Evans |