A NEW plaque is now in place honouring the life of Pat Searle, a founding member of the Whitehill Village Hall committee.

Friends and family gathered at the hall to celebrate Pat’s life and to unveil the new plaque.

Pat was named as a trustee on the original documents establishing the hall as a community charity, and remained in place until she died last September.

The event was well attended by Pat’s family, friends, members of the community and councillors, including Whitehill mayor David Cooper.

Pat worked tirelessly for the things she believed in: the Royal British Legion, St Matthew’s Church, the Forest Community Centre and Whitehill Village Hall.

She actively supported many local events and supported many of the regular groups that meet at the hall, including the St Matthew’s drop-in and the Royal Voluntary Service lunches.

It was felt that it was only right that this “wonderful lady” should be remembered forever so, with that in mind, a room has been named after her.

“We were honoured that Pat’s son Antony agreed to unveil the plaque at this special event (on Sunday, February 26) for us,” said Karin Nelson, Whitehill Village Hall Committee secretary.

“The Rev Alice Wood, from St Matthew’s Church in Blackmoor then blessed the plaque, the room and her family.

“After the ceremony everyone was invited to join the committee members for a buffet lunch and share their memories of Pat. The Whitehill Village Hall Committee would like to thank all those who attended, including several members of the town council and Pat’s family, some of whom had travelled from Somerset.”