The Brockenhurst Village Trust (BVT) and Trustees

The Brockenhurst Village Trust is a registered charity which provides educational, recreational and social facilities for the people of Brockenhurst. It is responsible for all the buildings and facilities on the Highwood Road site. The Trust is independent and receives no regular income from the Council Tax or Parish precept. The Trust runs the Village Hall through its Village Hall Management Committee which is chaired by a director/trustee of the Board.

The BVT was incorporated in November 2000 and is a registered company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital; the company number is 4108622. It was registered as a charity in March 2001 with the number 1085825. The Trust is therefore subject to the requirements of the Companies Acts and the Charity Commission.

The objects of the Trust are to provide educational, recreational and other community facilities for the benefit and social welfare of the people of the Civil Parish of Brockenhurst in Hampshire (“the area of benefit”) by charitable means. In furtherance of these objects the Company has a variety of powers laid down in the Memorandum of Association.

Originally the Highwood Road site was the property of Hampshire County Council and for many years was occupied by Brockenhurst’s Priestlands School Annexe (and before that was the Grammar School, and even earlier the County High School) before it closed in 1969/70.

The Village Hall was originally built on part of this site, and prior to the year 2000, the hall, the car park in front of the building and the area occupied by the playground were the property of the Village Hall, and subsequently the Trust, from 1983. The hall has been extended several times over the years.

The original Hall was made possible by a number of voluntary contributions and has been the beneficiary of many local residents wishing to see the creation of a community facility for Brockenhurst. The remainder of the Highwood Road site was retained by Hampshire County Council and purchased more recently. The Trust was created in order to acquire ownership of this remainder of the site which now houses the Scout Building and a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) as well currently vacant land extending to the Doctors’ car park.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Board of Trustees (Company Directors) are responsible for the management of the Company/Trust, the maximum number of trustees being eleven, two nominated by the Brockenhurst Parish Council, two representing user organisations and seven nominated by members of the general public within the area of benefit. The powers and responsibilities of the Board are laid down in the Articles of Association which can be made available on request along with the Memorandum of Association. Currently the Board meets at least quarterly with the Annual General Meeting in July being held as a General Meeting open to any members or others wishing to attend.

The Trustees are (current as of January 2022), please scroll down for further information):

Kevin Plummer (Chairman)

Kevin Plummer

I spent all my working life as an Environmental Health Officer for London councils, managing teams involved in pollution, health & safety, licensing and food safety enforcement. I have been a Magistrate for over 25 years sitting throughout London.

I retired 6 years ago and moved from Surrey to Brockenhurst. I am married (my wife still works as a secondary school teacher) with 2 grown up children who are living in London.

I have been a governor at Brockenhurst Church of England Primary School for the past five years. I share an allotment and enjoy cooking and DIY.

As a member of the Brockenhurst Village Trust I have a particular interest in the safety and security of all staff, members, volunteers of the hall and the public. I was elected as Chair in May 2020.

Tony Fessler

Tony Fessler

I was born in Belfast in 1940 into an Austrian émigré family. I was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Lincoln College Oxford (PPE) and subsequently qualified as a Chartered Secretary.

I have worked as Finance Director of Mannesmann Kienzle UK Ltd (a computer supplier), and subsequently as General Secretary of the Anglo-Austrian Society, a cultural and educational charity.

Following retirement in 2000, and our move to Brockenhurst, I have been Treasurer of the Hampshire branch of CPRE, and since 2014 Treasurer of the Brockenhurst Village Trust.

We moved to Brockenhurst because this is where our son and grandchildren live; we also have a daughter in London. We have a boat at Bucklers Hard, and enjoy walking in the New Forest, concerts, opera and drama, and travel in the wider world.

Avril Hicks

Avril joined the Brockenhurst Village Trust Board in May 2020.

I was born 1949 and raised in Hampshire. After attending Totton Grammar school, I gained a degree in Psychology at Exeter then trained as a Social Worker working mostly in Bristol.

After starting a family, my husband and I moved to Holbury to take over our family business, running the local hardware and garden shop.  As the business developed, we moved to live in East Boldre for 10 years then to Brockenhurst when our children were attending the College. Our son now runs our business and I continue as part time Finance and Administrative Director, working from home.

We have lived in Meerut Road for 22 years. It is a joy to live in the middle of The New Forest and we value all that the Brockenhurst community has to offer. Over the years I have come to appreciate the range of facilities that are based at the Village Hall. As a volunteer helping to run the Friday Day Centre for the Elderly and when attending some of the different classes and activities, I can see the work that has to be done to make everything possible. I hope that with my social administration and commercial experience I can help the Trust in its valuable work.

Shaun Williams

Shaun joined the Brockenhurst Village Trust Board in November 2021. He moved to Brockenhurst after many years in London working in the media, health and care sectors, to take up an Executive Director role at the University of Southampton, where he currently works. He is also a Governor of Brockenhurst College.

Michael Harris OBE

Michael has advised both high profile individuals and companies involved in the media industries for over thirty years and is an honorary life member of BAFTA (British Academy of Film & Television Arts).  He is a Brockenhurst Parish Councillor.

Michael was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2020.  This was in recognition of his work with Comic Relief where he was a Trustee and the Treasurer for 30 years.  

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