The Committee gratefully accepted this new site.  I  then went to see Charles Mason, an architect in Wolverhampton. He was a friend of Mr Ablitt. Mr Mason produced a sketch plan and it was decided that, because of  some disquiet by certain parties in the village, a Parish Meeting would be held under the chairmanship of the parish council chairman, Geoff Woodward, to give everyone the opportunity to learn all the facts and have their say. We said: “these are the sketch plans for the new seven-acre site. If you accept them we will be able to sell the other site which will help us to find the deposit for what was going to be a much more expensive building than had first been envisaged.”    We had the Public Meeting and although there was a certain amount of opposition there wasn't very much. I told everyone present that if they would approve the sketch plans we would call a second meeting in six months’ time when a detailed costing would be available and the people could then decide if they wished to proceed. I told them that there would not only be a Village Hall but a sports pavilion as well. Originally it was hoped to incorporate a swimming pool into the plan.    Mr Billingsley, of Charles Mason's practice, was appointed architect. We had some costings from the Quantity Surveyor and finally came up with a building which, we reckoned, was going to cost us about £12,000. The sports field was going to cost another £5,000. We understood we could get grants from the county council, the district council, the parish council and the Department of Education and Science.    But, by the time we came to have the second meeting a number of people had passed resolutions. The PCC for example, which was dominated by some of the older residents of the village, said that they didn't think anything should be done in a hurry and they passed a very “wet” resolution not really supporting the idea at all. During the discussion I decided to walk out and leave them to discuss it without me as I thought they would be able to do that much better if I was not in the room.  There was a considerable amount of opposition. They also objected to my idea of bringing in the political parties, because they thought that they might try to control the project. I said that it was a community venture and we must involve everybody in the village.    Once, I was summoned to a house in Codsall where I was told in no uncertain terms that a Village Hall was not required  and should not be built.  I replied that, with all due respect the village had told me to build it and the only people who could tell me not to build it, would again be the people of the village. The opportunity for that would come when I presented my costings and if the meeting disagreed, then fair enough, that was their privilege and that was the democratic way it was going to be done. At this time there were three places which were used as meeting places by the village.  There were the Parish Rooms, run by the Church. There was a Conservative Hut by the railway station and there was Blanton’s Tea Rooms which by this time belonged to the Old People’s Welfare. So there were three different groups of people who realised that if a Village Hall came into being they were going to lose their lettings. These were quite important people in the community and they certainly tried to persuade me that the Hall was not wanted.  One or two councillors were opposed to the idea, but the more opposition I encountered the more determined I was that the plans should go ahead.    To cut a long story short, six months later we had a tremendous meeting in the Parish Room. About 120 people attended, which meant that it was completely full and was very hot. The atmosphere got a bit warm as well. I have never had such a grilling as I had that night. Geoff Woodward was in the chair and he was very fair. I think he had some sympathy with the objectors, but he played his part as Chairman of the Parish Council very well indeed.  He said that he was there not to take sides, but to see fair play.     In the end Queenie Stubbs said, in her thin wavery voice: “Well I think Mr Hughes's plans are excellent and I move that they be accepted.” Somebody else seconded it and although there had been                                                                        2