TREASURE HUNT – Burghill treasure hunt challenge looks set to become a regular event. Residents David and Amanda Ingham, of Treasure Trails, ran a day of challenges for families in Burghill and Tillington, as well as some from further afield. The winners were Rev Jimmy Morrison and his wife Liz. Jimmy commented that he hadn’t seen the village so alive in ages and it was wonderful to walk around meeting groups of people looking for the answers to clues. George Scott, chairman of the St Mary’s Church events committee, said the church benefitted to the tune of around £225.

HALL BIRTHDAY – The village hall has celebrated its 100th birthday. Residents got in the party mood on Saturday when Simpson Hall reached its centenary.

The hall was opened in April 1908 by Albert Simpson, a renowned author and former Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire. The early hall included a shooting gallery, caretaker’s house and billiard table, which moved upstairs in future years. Mr Simpson was a philanthropist and strong Christian, who founded the hall for reading, recreation and wholesome virtues. Those virtues included a ban on drinking, gambling and political discussion, which remain in place, with some exceptions. Burghill residents don’t need alcohol to have a good time, and last weekend’s party included a lunch and children’s entertainment. Burghill Primary School pupils also provided a show, while the evening finished with a barn dance.

The hall’s fortunes have fluctuated during the century, but were boosted in the 1990s with lottery money and the demise of St Mary’s Hospital. Big village events moved to the hall when the hospital closed, while the venue was refurbished thanks to a generous grant in 1994. The hall is constantly booked and has become a Flicks in the Sticks venue.

Roy Littlewood, former hall secretary and trustee, thinks Mr Simpson would be pleased with today’s success.

“He wasn’t a native but he was a public-spirited man who donated the organ and a lot of items to the church,” he said. “There’s still no drinking and gambling, but we do have things like whist drives and bingo, which don’t really count. As for political debates, it’s a polling station so I don’t know what he would have made of that.”