The Sevenoaks Chronicle is running a competition in conjunction with Coolings Nursery. The prize is £7,000 to spend on creating a community garden. The trustees of the Memorial Hall have entered this competition and hope that readers of the paper will collect the tokens printed in it each week (from 18^th February for 6 weeks). The organisation collecting the most tokens wins the prize. Please start collecting now and help to win the money and make a beautiful garden around the new hall. Tokens may be handed to a committee member or put through David Vallance’s door, (Davals, Grange Road, Platt) by 25^th March.

The construction of the new memorial hall is proceeding well, with the metal roof starting to go on top of the timber frame and the brickwork being applied to the outside. Scott Wishart continues to do a great job in recording the construction, and Simon Smith has kindly provided some aerial shots using his drone.

Scott is also working with the school children on some projects which will provide photographs and video which will be displayed in the new hall, so providing a contemporary record of remembrance expressed by a new generation, giving a fresh example of the saying ‘We shall remember them’.

We are now planning the last events to be held in the original hall, our AGM being held on 29^th March at 8 pm, with wine and nibbles and a chance to talk to the committee of trustees afterwards. All residents are cordially invited.

As noted last month, a ‘Farewell Tea Party’ is to be held on the afternoon of Sunday 12^th June. We hope this will be well attended as it coincides with the Queen’s 90th Birthday celebrations and will provide an appropriate occasion for the whole village to give the old hall a proper ‘send off’.

We are now also planning the formal opening ceremony which, we hope, will be on 3rd September, followed by an exhibition about the war memorial. This will run for a week, with information about those whose names are on it and also about the construction of the new hall and the moving of the war memorial. We will also be rededicating the war memorial and it would be appropriate for those who are related to the names on the memorial to be present for this ceremony. Please let us know if you or someone you know is in this category. At the end of the week of celebration we intend to have a formal dinner dance on 10 September. Please watch this space to find out when tickets for all these events will become available.

Sandy Mackay, Chairman of the Trustees