As well as receiving a grant to refurbish the toilets in the community hub, Victoria Hall will also see a new chairman take over in a bid to revitalise Oakham's much-loved town hall.

David Graham, who is an Oakham Town Councillor, Oakham shop owner and professional musician, was elected Chairman of Trustees, while Cllr Paul Ainsley was appointed as Vice Chairman.

The duo were elected by the board of Trustees on Tuesday the 19th of April 2022.

David, who has lived in and around Oakham most of his life said: "I am honoured to have been elected as Chairman of Victoria Hall. I've performed there since I was a lad and thoroughly look forward to working with the trustees and the local community to make this place a vibrant hub of activity and events again for the town."

Peter Jones, who has been Chairman for several years and a trustee for nearly 20 of those, stood down recently. Peter added: "I have loved my time at Victoria Hall but felt it was time to hand over the reins to a younger generation, so that they can create the kind of activities they want to happen in this, the centrepiece of the town."

The upstairs of the hall is in the process of being leased with a view to hosting concerts, band nights, comedy nights, dance events and much more. The Allman Gallery downstairs is being refurbished and through the kind support of Oakham Town Council, grants have been awarded to clean the front of the building, install glass doors and refurbish the downstairs toilets.  

David concluded: "This is such an exciting time for the hall. I am passionate about live events and committed to ensuring there is a regular programme of high quality events for people of all ages to enjoy, as well as making the wonderful dance floor and space available for all that wish to use it."

This new appointment comes just after Oakham Town Council agreed a grant for Victoria Hall to refurbish the toilets in the community hub. 

On top of this exciting succession of improvement and change, the trustees are also looking for additional trustees to join the board and are hoping that some younger people will come forward to represent the views and wishes of their generation.

To do so, interested parties can contact the hall by emailing [email protected]. 

Alternatively, find details on the Victoria Hall Facebook page.