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There was a clear sense of history at Caerphilly Workmen’s Hall as it celebrated its centenary with a special gala concert.

Friday February 7 marked exactly 100 years since the Grade II listed building first opened its doors. Those in attendance to share the celebration were treated to rousing performances from brass band BTM:The Next Generation, talented 15-year-old singer Esther Thomas-Bizjak and Caerphilly Male Voice Choir.

The choir was part of the opening ceremony 100 years ago – although its chair John Morgan joked there was a different line-up in 1925.

A baton used by founding musical director Jordan Davies, who conducted the choir at the opening of the hall, was presented to its current director Nerys Porch – who also treated the audience to a solo performance of Anfonaf Angel.

The hall had its beginnings in 1906, when a group of local workers began the welfare movement in Caerphilly. They established a welfare committee and organised workers to donate a portion of their weekly wages to a fund that would eventually build the hall and the Caerphilly District Miners Hospital.

Kathy Lye, chair of Caerphilly Workmen’s Hall, spoke about adding to the hall’s history.

She told the audience: “Society has changed. Caerphilly has changed. This workmen’s hall is not the centre of welfare and wellbeing that it once was, but it is still at the heart of the town, and it is an essential part of our history.

“In the minute books, you can read of ordinary people supporting their community through the hardest times – hall funds were used to support miners’ widows; to help local men returning from World War II; and to give assistance to those who needed it in the leaner years.”

Kathy paid tribute to Walter Davies, a member of the original 1906 welfare committee, who eventually retired some 50 years later, and to Malcolm Hunt, who joined the hall’s committee in the 1980s and served it for almost 40 years before stepping down.

Another tribute was paid to committee member Fred Brooks, who passed away last year, and a poem of his was read out by the hall’s vice chair Karina Warrington.

Caerphilly County Borough Major Julian Simmonds praised the work of the hall’s volunteers in keeping the doors of the historic venue open.

He said: “The hall is a registered charity. It receives no regular funding or subsidies – all the money to keep this building alive comes from donations, hiring fees and grants fought for by the trustees. And, what’s more, all the work involved in keeping this hall open is carried out by a dedicated team of volunteers.

“From the trustees to the stewards, to the people who welcomed you at the door this evening – these hardworking individuals willingly give up their time to keep this building operational and relevant.

“From cleaning, to DIY, to general admin, and day-to-day running and promotion of the venue, there are no paid staff. For a venue of this size and the challenges that brings, that truly is a remarkable feat.”

Caerphilly Town Mayor Mike Prew said the hall had a lot of personal significance for him having regularly visited it during his youth when it regularly showed films.

He said: “It was a fantastic night and it was great to be here.

“Thank you to the workmen 100 years ago for giving our town this venue and obviously a thank you to the hall’s committee and volunteers who are carrying on the hard work they started.”

He also pledged the support of Caerphilly Town Council in efforts to transform the hall into an arts centre.

The next 100 years?

While Caerphilly Workmen’s Hall still attracts headline names such as John Cooper Clarke – and later this year Johnny Vegas –  it is recognised the venue needs further development to survive and thrive.

An ambitious community-led project, Cynefin Caerffili, wants to develop the hall into a free-to-access public cultural space with other facilities, such as cinema screens and studios – akin to Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre.

One of the driving forces behind the project is Emlyn Davies, who runs the award-winning Caerphilly-based, creative animation company Bomper Studio.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer last year about the plans, he explained: “We want to create somewhere to showcase and inspire a generation, not just in performance, but also in animation, film, and the wider creative sector.

“A place to inspire, educate and entertain people.

“There is little to do in the town centre after 5pm as a family. I want it to be a place where we can provide entertainment, pull in festivals, have workshops, and attract high calibre directors, performers and showcase to people how you get into these creative sectors.

“We want a venue where we can pull in comedy shows or live performances and the hall has that potential.”

Have you got a favourite memory of Caerphilly Workmen’s Hall? We’d love to be able to share them with our readers. Please send them to us via news@caerphilly.observer