All photos kindly taken by Robb Agostinelli
What an amazing event this was once again! The weather was very much on our side, not wet, not too hot and not cold, perfect conditions for people and lots of dogs to enjoy the day. From the onset, the increase in volunteers this year has been lovely to see, we had more volunteers than streets, so no one was over whelmed with the job of delivering fete material. The pre event team turned out in force on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to get things ready. The Millenium shed team was once again organised with marquees, card parking signs, football games, and duck race kits. Thanks, go to each and every one of you.
The day itself had a new event, with over 100 runners turning out to complete the Derrington Dash, organised by Sally Haycock and Stafford Harriers. Unfortunately, life some times doesnt go to plan, and Sally couldn't attend due to being at the side of her husband during a medical procedure. Our best wishes go to John, and thanks to Sally for organising the run. Tracy and Molly stepped up and did a grand job in Sallys absence.
With Duck races, food stalls, singers, dancers, dog shows, games, plants and many things to look at and get involved with, Rev Cath kindly opened the event, a slight hiccup as the Sound guy Lee, wasnt back in time from the run , so Roger Peak microphone came to the rescue, plan B is always a good to have, Rev Cath as always took it in her stride!! The day was very busy and the atmosphere friendly. The quality of the main areana entertainment was superb, and we thank them all. The day after all costs were taken out, raised £2187, at the after event meeting, which had a record 19 attendees, it was decided that the W.I had the £87, the Church £800, they have a roof to fix, and the Village Hall and Millenium Green both recieving £650 each. We hope everyone enjoyed the day. We look forward to 2026 event . If you would like to join in and be part of this happy team, look out for details early in January, or go on to the Derrington Village Hall website, there is a volunteering section, where you can leave your name. Volunteering is very rewarding and gives you a huge sense of belonging. Here in Derrington, we pride ourselves on our community spirit.
Things to look forward to
August 23rd, summer BBQ with live music, starting at 6pm, please come along, enjoy and support this event, any profit will be used to help replace the Disabled toilet door, which is looking aliitle tired.
September 13th, after a very successful quiz and curry evening in June, Sarah and the team will be once again putting your heads to the test after your taste buds have come alive with curry.
October 4th, something new for those who enjoy wine, we have a wine tasting evening, we have one of the Social Club wholesalers suppliers, running this evening, so proffesionally run, there will be Cheese and biscuits at the interval , please come along and enjoy the wine, food and company.
November will see Rosemary and Syd holding a quiz night, and the December event will be Serenity Singers, putting us all in the festive mood, with an evening of delightful music.
Alongside these events, there will be a monthly Whist Drive, monthly Sunday lunches, and regular music in the bar on 1st and 3rd Tuesday evenings of the month. Bingo every friday. Free pool, pop in, we look forward to seeing you.
The Trustees would like to thank all those villagers who attended the AGM on Monday, 23rd June. It had only been eight months since our last AGM and 2 months since the EGM, so we were very pleased with the turnout.
The financial report showed a small loss of £195 for 2024/25. However, this was offset by a particularly active final quarter, with strong hall bookings and solar power cheques arriving at the end of March. Income and outgoings were otherwise broadly in line with the previous year. If anyone who wasn’t at the meeting would like a copy of the report, please email treasurer@derringtonvillagehall.co.uk or speak to one of the trustees.
A special thanks goes to Malcolm Kidd for generously donating his time and expertise to carry out our annual audit. We’re delighted that he’s agreed to do it again this year—thank you, Malcolm.
We also bid farewell to three long-serving trustees—Sallie Churchill, John Watkins, and Ken Breeze—who have retired after three years of dedicated service. Each was presented with a small gift from the community in appreciation of their contributions. Although stepping down, John and Ken will continue to assist with hall maintenance, and Sallie, now living outside the village, will stay in touch—and is even helping at the fete!
We're delighted to welcome Karen and Kevin Boulton and Shirley Martin as new trustees. At a brief meeting after the AGM, we agreed to continue with quarterly open meetings, where any villager is welcome to attend. We strongly encourage all user groups to send a representative, so everyone has a voice in the running of our hall.
Our next meeting will take place on Monday, 14th July at 7:15pm, and we’ll be focusing on ensuring the hall continues to meet the needs of the community. Please come along to show your support and share your ideas.
We’re also pleased to announce that Frances Sutherland has kindly agreed to take on the role of Chair. However, we still urgently need volunteers to take on bookkeeping and the Treasurer role. If you—or someone you know—might be interested, please contact any trustee, speak to the Social Club committee, or email treasurer@derringtonvillagehall.co.uk.
Finally, we truly appreciate the continued support of our community. Since the EGM, many have come forward to offer their time or donate towards running costs. Every bit of help—whether it's volunteering, donating, or simply attending events—makes a difference in keeping our village hall vibrant and connected.
21st June 2025 - Charity Curry & Quiz evening
Our charity curry & quiz evening was an absolute success — 54 of you turned up for great food, a fabulous quiz hosted by the brilliant Molly.
We raised an incredible £260, which was to be split between Derrington Village Hall (CIO 1193099) and Breast Cancer Awareness.
Our winning team also generously donated their £50 prize back into the pot, bringing the total to £310 — £155 for each charity!
But the generosity didn’t stop there!
An anonymous customer has offered to match the original £260 raised, taking our total up to £570
That’s £285 for each cause! What an incredibly kind gesture, thank you to them.
A note from our wonderful organiser, Sarah. What an amazing village we have. It brings me so much pleasure to be running such an amazing asset to the village. I’m blessed to have such a lovely family with Will Layla and Alfie waiting on and helping clean up after the evening. Feeling truly blessed 🥰