In December, I got the chance to visit Tackley village hall with Community First Oxfordshire’s Halls Advisor, Tessa. I heard about the great initiatives there, some of the difficulties they’re facing, and how Tessa offers them support.

In 2022, the local pub in Tackley was at risk of shutting down. The local community bid for the pub but couldn’t afford the building, so – working with the pub – they decided to set up a pop up bar in the village hall whenever the pub was closed. The pub supplied the drinks and the village hall supplied volunteer staff, and they shared the profits. In 2023, the pub closed down, and so a community group came together to form a CIC and run the pop up bar by themselves, hiring the village hall to host it every Friday.

This pop up bar has been hugely successful! With over 200 customers in summer, it has become a hub for community – whether for a friendly catch up or a birthday party. The bar also hosts local food trucks and fundraisers, supporting other organisations in the the area. Like last year where the church sold jacket potatoes and raised £600 for a new organ, and a stand run by a parent teachers association contributed to developing an outdoor classroom.

 

In 2025, the village hall is now hoping to start renovations. With the financial support and community energy that the pop up pub is providing, the hall wants to improve its space, given it is often fully booked. That way, it can better provide for the community; whether that’s through the drama school, archive group, or weddings.

Tessa – our halls advisor – has made sure that all the background work of licenses, land registry registration, fire safety, are in place to enable the hall to undertake its amazing actvities. She has also offered advice on funding and connected the hall with others in the area who are undertaking similar projects (read about our local meetings). She supported the hall committee, encouraging new board members to step up and talking them through the role, building capacity.