History Trail 1 - The Village Hall
The former Church of England school was rented to the village by the church for a peppercorn rent. It was agreed to add a hall, toilets, an entrance area and corridor to extend the building on the north side. This became the village hall.
A loan had been secured to pay for this and when it was completed, a small social committee set about raising funds to pay off the loan. Many villagers had sponsored a brick, coffee mornings and social events were held. This not only raised funds but served to provide much sought after community activity, now with a lovely modern hall in which to enjoy them.
The current hall was officially opened in August 1977. Discos, dances and theatre productions were very popular. A youth club was formed, badminton and indoor bowling clubs met weekly. Sadberge Parish Council and various groups held their meetings there. Annual Spring Shows, Christmas parties and concerts contributed to this social hub of the community.
Throughout the eighties an annual pantomime was enjoyed with an all-age cast of some 20-30 people. Shows included Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Over The Rainbow, Robin Hood, Cinderella and Peter Pan. Popular television characters, from such as Dad’s Army, Coronation Street, ‘Allo ‘Allo; the Bash Street Kids and Last of the Summer Wine, became part of current village happenings in the storylines, and children enjoyed taking the parts of some well-known village characters. Similarly, some well-known residents took unfamiliar roles in the stories – the new vicar became Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother. In 1989 Councillor Beatrice Cuthbertson became Mayor of Darlington and agreed to have her character played by twelve year old Claire Dixon, in the village version of Dick Whittington. She sportingly lent her famous Balmoral Tam’o Shanter to be worn. The pantos ran for three nights with audiences of 80-100 per night (many paid for two nights!) A ‘Sadberge Has got Talent’ show, music hall evenings and a D-Day tribute were amongst the popular shows which were staged.
Fund raising has always been on the agenda of the Village Hall Association. Social activities, Christmas and summer fairs together with various grants have helped maintain this tremendous facility. The hall has become a popular venue to hire for parties, weddings and conferences. Following the closure of the local post office, which not only issued stamps etc, but provided a place in which to share stories and chat, the village hall opened a coffee shop to fill this need. It provided a playschool for many years which became the forerunner of Sadberge Pre-School.