'Positive times' ahead for Braywood Memorial Hall following car crash damage

‘Positive times’ lie ahead for Braywood Memorial Hall in Fifield, which has been repaired after it was damaged when a car smashed through its front porch.

Where rubble lay strewn on the floor following the crash last year, a newly rebuilt entrance way has been constructed and a fresh coat of green paint applied.

Trustee of the hall and chairman of the Oakley Green, Fifield & District Community Association (OGAFCA), Barbara Frame, said she was ‘absolutely delighted’ with the revamped entrance.

OGAFCA helps run Braywood Memorial Hall, which is used for Bray Parish Council meetings and is rented out for events throughout the year.

Remembering the damage caused by the car crash, which happened late at night on August 26, Ms Frame said it had left a ‘terrible mess’ which had taken half a year to rectify.

“When the accident happened, the car actually came through the fence and took the whole porch down,” she said.

“It then smashed through another fence, just missing the electric substation, which was very lucky for them.

“We had glass, bricks the whole length of the hall and it was a terrible mess on the inside as well.

“It’s taken about six months to finally get it right [the repairs].

“But we were very lucky that our war memorial, which was on the outside wall, wasn’t damaged.

“That’s gone away to be cleaned up a bit, and that’s the last thing to come back now - then we’ll have everything back.”

When the war memorial returns it will put the finishing touches on the rebuilt front, which Ms Frame said had been covered by insurance.

“[I am] absolutely delighted,” Ms Frame said, adding:

“We certainly look forward to more positive times.”

Braywood Memorial Hall has remained open for events, during ‘drafty and cold’ autumn and winter period while repairs have been ongoing.

Ms Frame thanked those who have continued to use the hall and ‘have stayed with us in spite of all the difficulties’ to help it retain a crucial line of income.

She continued: “It's been a really tough time and the committee has worked really hard to make it as usable as possible.

“We couldn't afford to lose our regulars or turn people away because, obviously we need the money coming in to support keeping the hall going.”

Braywood Memorial Hall, alongside the reinstated war memorial, will be officially reopened at 7.30pm on March 26 for the OGAFCA annual general meeting.

Ms Frame still hopes action will be taken to address the problem junction outside the hall – a cross-roads where Fifield Road, Forest Green Road and Oakley Green Road meet.

She said: “Since I’ve lived here, the volume of traffic on this road has more than doubled and, of course, with more house building it gets busier and busier.

“We [OGAFCA] strongly feel that something should be done about that junction before there is a serious accident.

“We were very, very lucky with this accident that no one was crossing the junction at that time or it could have had a far more serious outcome.”