The construction of the new memorial hall continues apace, with the metal roof and the brickwork to the outside now being complete, apart from the area where the war memorial is to be reconstructed. Please take a look at our website at www.plattwarmemorial.org to see the photographs which Scott Wishart has taken to show the progress of work going on at the new hall.

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, and we have agreed to purchase, with the assistance of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, a wall-hung display panel that will allow all visitors to the hall to view the information which has been gathered.

As this issue of Village News is being circulated before Easter, I can remind you that our AGM is being held on 29^th March at 8 pm. All residents are cordially invited, with wine and nibbles and a chance to talk to the committee of trustees afterwards.

You may also want to put your names down for the ‘Farewell Tea Party’ being held on the afternoon of Sunday 12^th June. We hope this will be very well attended as it coincides with the Queens 90^th Birthday celebrations and will provide an appropriate occasion for the whole village to say goodbye to the old hall. Please contact any member of the committee to let us know if you want tickets.

As explained last month, we are planning the formal opening ceremony on 3^rd September, and we are pleased to announce that our MP, Tom Tugendhat, will carry out the opening. This is appropriate, as he served with the army in Iraq and Afghanistan. There will be an exhibition which will run for a week about the war memorial, with information about those whose names are on it and also about the construction of the new hall and the moving of the memorial.

We will also be rededicating the war memorial and it would be appropriate for those who are related to the people named 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^th September. Please watch this space to find out when tickets for all these events will become available.

Sandy Mackay, Chairman of the Trustees