Bishops Green Community Association honoured by the High Sheriff of Hampshire

A rural community group that manages and operates a village hall has been honoured by the High Sheriff of Hampshire.

The High Sheriff, Jon Whitaker, presented High Sheriff of Hampshire Community Awards to 17 recipients in Winchester on March 6 in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the community, especially among young people across the county.

Bishops Green Community Association was one of the recipients and over the past few years it has brought Bishops Green Village Hall back from the brink of closure.

The association has overseen the introduction of several regular community group meetings at the hall to keep it open and to help the Bishops Green community.

Just last December, it secured funding from the Rural England Prosperity Fund to renovate a room in the hall into a modern wellbeing space.

It has since provided opportunities for local professionals to work and residents to have access to services such as hairdressers, beauticians and podiatrists which they otherwise may be isolated from due to living in a rural village.

Bishops Green Community Association’s Megan Winfield and Lucy Davies-Barker were present on March 6 to receive the award.

Megan said: “We get to witness, firsthand, the progress that has been made within the community, the relationships that have been formed between families and seeing the difference in the community spirit and knowing that we’ve played a huge part in that.

“We can provide services that a lot of people in the village would struggle to access otherwise.

“To be recognised for an award came as a surprise but a very welcome one. I feel immensely proud of our work.”

The High Sheriff Awards are a mark of distinction and recognition given to Hampshire-based volunteers, groups and public servants making a significant contribution to society through enhancing safety and cohesion in our communities.