The treasurer of Dyffryn Ardudwy and Talybont Village Hall has thanked the local community for its support during the pandemic.

Mick Tibbett, who is also a trustee of the hall, said: “We had to close at the end of March due to coronavirus but even during the closed period the committee worked hard, socially distanced and obeying all Covid rules, to ensure that the hall could reopen safely once allowed to do so.

“Hours were spent in taking apart and stripping down the old fabric covered chairs, these were sent to Cartwright’s upholstery in Llanfair to be re-covered in a wipeable fabric and then back to the hall to be reassembled. We took the opportunity to get some more decorating done.

“Hand sanitisers were installed, safety signs erected and risk assessments done. This enabled us to open the hall safely once we felt it was safe to do so. Each group that was allowed – by the government – to come back had to nominate a Covid officer to keep a record of attendees and sign to say everything had been cleaned properly after use.”

Financial support has allowed the hall committee to carry out repairs and work to prepare for flower planting in the spring.

Mick added: “We are thankful for the government grants received during the lockdown that have allowed us to do these things including getting the hall car park repaired, this has suffered badly due to the extreme rain we’ve experienced over the last few months.

“We are also in the process of turning the car park verges into a wild flower meadow and have volunteers growing flowers ready to be planted in the spring.

“Furthermore, we have now engaged an architect and will be submitting plans in the near future to enable us to replace the entrance elevation, allowing us to fit insulation in the new wall, opening windows into the snooker room and café and new disabled friendly entrance door.

“We would like to thank all the hall and café users for their support in these difficult times.”

If you are interested in becoming either a trustee, committee member or volunteer at the hall, contact Micky at [email protected]