Late parish councillor honoured with new hall

Michael Brunton's eldest son Dan and his widow Fiona opened the new hall

A parish councillor who served as chairman for 14 years before he died has been honoured with a new village hall.

Michael Brunton had hoped the Wiltshire villages of Allington and Boscombe would have their own hall, but died in 2021 before the project could be completed.

A brand new facility in Boscombe - called the Brunton Memorial Hall - was officially opened by Mr Brunton's widow, Fiona, and their eldest son, Dan, on 1 June.

Dan said his father would "be delighted" with the hall.

The new village hall has been named after Michael Brunton

The former chairman was able to visit the partially completed hall before his death, and was "very happy with the way it looked", according to his son.

He moved to Allington in 1988 and "felt so much could be done with the village".

After stepping back from the family publishing business, Dan said his father "threw himself into parish life".

In 2020, Mr Brunton was presented with a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to the community.

His ambition to create the hall took a step closer to reality when a local family decided to sell their home and some land in the village to a housing developer.

The sale came with a clause that stipulated the developers must build a hall for the two villages.

A Community Partnership put on a series of events to help fund the project, including band nights, fetes and Christmas celebrations.

After Mr Brunton's death, it was unanimously agreed it should be named after him.

The parish council said the hall "is now a valuable and much-needed facility for the community".

It will be used for local clubs and classes and will also be available for private hire.