Recent personal attacks on social media and in other public forums against our Village Hall volunteers and trustees are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately.
These dedicated individuals give their time freely to maintain this vital community facility. Our bookings secretary, maintenance volunteers, and trustees work tirelessly to ensure the hall serves its charitable purpose of benefiting all inhabitants of our parish.
They often balance these unpaid duties with full-time jobs, family commitments, and in some cases, serious health challenges.
The trustees and volunteers have a legal obligation to manage the hall for everyone’s benefit. This sometimes requires making difficult decisions to ensure fair access for all community groups. These decisions are made by the trustees with the best interests of the hall in mind.
Personal attacks, hostile behaviour, or attempts to intimidate our volunteers not only breach basic standards of decency but may also constitute harassment. Such behaviour damages our community and threatens the continued operation of this important facility. Without our volunteers, the hall simply cannot function. The committee will take a zero-tolerance approach to instances of harassment, and follow steps to protect our volunteers from abuse, including:
– Documenting all instances of harassment or hostile behaviour
– Reviewing booking privileges of groups whose members engage in such behaviour
– Taking legal advice where appropriate
– Implementing strict consequences for breaches of our code of conduct
We request that any concerns about hall management be raised through appropriate channels by emailing chair@endonvillagehall.org.uk or raising the issue with a committee member to bring up at the next committee meeting.
However, we will not engage with communications that include personal attacks or abusive language. The Village Hall exists to serve our entire community. This can only happen through mutual respect and constructive dialogue. We ask everyone to remember that behind every booking, every maintenance task, and every decision is a volunteer from our own community, giving their time to benefit others.
Daniel Tallentire
Chair & Trustee
Endon Village Hall Committee