In the early evening of Friday, July 7^th, the Public Hall hosted a gathering at the Hall to witness the opening of the garden sponsered by Councillor Mrs Celia Lukins. Dr David Thomas, the Chairman of the Hall Committee welcomed everyone and invited them to tour the inside of the building where recent improvements have included major structural repairs to the building fabric, complete rewiring, redecoration of the entrance and many rooms and a completely new kitchen. There has been installed a public address system, new curtains and stage surround and a recently acquired piano, which was demonstrated by playing a wide selection of familiar tunes from Ivor Novello to Scot Joplin. Finally the overgrown land at the side of the Hall had been turned into an attractive garden with seats. The event was to thank the many local residents and organisations who have made these improvements, some were part of the SHIRE 2000 celebrations, possible. Councillor Mrs Celia Lukins the sponsor of the refurbished garden spoke of the hard work of the Sea Cadets in clearing the area, and she remembered that years ago she had had her wedding photographs taken in the garden as it was then, and that she hoped that now it would be used by all ages in the locality, particularly the elderly who might welcome a place to sit after shopping in the High Street.

David Thomas, Chairman of the Hall Association, said ‘We are very keen to see the local people make full use of their Public Hall, which has served Shirehampton since 1904. After many years of gentle decline, we have now turned the corner. More people are using the Hall than ever before, and we are steadily improving the facilities. We could not have done this without help from a large number of people, and the co-operation of the City Council.