If you’re not around the Hall during the week, you may not notice that this can be quite a busy place. Many groups use the Hall and Lounge. The Mana Ako group for young disabled people is in the Lounge on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. That means that some of these young people spend a considerable time on St Paul’s grounds. Some of them are also part of the Kapa Haka group that meets in the Hall on Mondays. This Kapa Haka group has been part of our Matariki celebrations twice. Circability is an activity for disabled people, which meets in the Hall on Thursdays. It uses performance to encourage them in movement and confidence. I have been to one of the concerts, which they put on regularly, giving opportunity for the performers to shine.

Normally working with a quite different group of people, but also active in the disability sector is Recreate NZ. This charity provides activities for those with mild to moderate disabilities. Its offices are at the LOOP Youth Centre, but it occasionally uses our facilities for particular events.

The LOOP Youth Centre itself regularly uses the Hall, particularly during holiday programmes. Another charity located at the Youth Centre, Birthright, often uses our facilities for special events. It works with single-parent families.

The Hall floor is also ideal for dancing. That’s why the Scottish Dancing Group and Israeli Dancing are regular hall hirers. Two martial arts groups also hire the hall regularly. There’s also some music to be heard: the St Alban’s Community Choir regularly practices in the Hall. Its concerts are normally held in the Church. The Christian Missionary Fellowship International, a Fijian church, also fills the hall with music. A lot quieter are the Nor’west Crafty Ladies, which meet every week.

Two groups that have long used the facilities on Saturdays are the Cornish Society and the Cavy Club. Tip Top Toes Community Foot Care is a more recent user. It is an organisation that provides foot care for elderly people, offering help in regular tasks such as nail clipping, giving the people relief and a human touch. First Aid South Central is another new user, offering first aid courses.

Quite noticeable is that the tennis courts have temporarily been taken over by a Pickleball Club. The sound of pickleball can be heard around the grounds on a fine day from morning to evening now.

The Hall complex is not so frequently used by church groups. Ignite—the after-school programme for primary school children—is there weekly. The Button Home Group uses the meeting room twice a month and the Fellowship Group and Red Cross Knitting Group meet there once a month.

Ruth manages all these hall users. Income from the various users was just below $40,000 last year, but power, cleaning, and maintenance costs have to be taken into account. The facilities are well used at the moment and certainly part of the wider community.