Village Hall 1957 to the present
In 1977 George Cheyne and Janet Wilson were presented with awards for their service to the Village Association by Graham Scott
By 1957 the Hall was badly in need of repair and Juniper Green Association was formed to represent many of the interests of the residents in the district. Two of the main organisers in this work were George Culbert (whose picture still hangs in the hall) and George Cheyne who both worked hard for many years to rejuvenate the Hall. Funds were raised, much by door-to-door collections, to put the hall and the caretaker's house in order.
It was not until July 1971 that the management of the Hall was taken over by the Education Department of Edinburgh Corporation after an inspector's report claimed that "the building has already existed for a period longer than would normally be expected for a building of this kind and with only normal maintenance, it's further life can only be expected to be about 15 years". In 1973 an agreement was reached between a new Committee of the Village Hall Association and Lothian Regional Council to share joint management.
JG playgroup 1976 in the Village Hall's garden.
Back row from left: Julia Hamilton, Tom Mendum, Julie Penman, Fiona Eckersall, David Hood, Stephen Boyd, Richard Mann.
Next row down : Lynne Cafferty, Christopher Tasker, Stuart Ralph, Richard Kemp, Neil Roberts, Pamela Mackay, Joanne Knox.
Seated: Lynn Watt, Neil Mendum, Robin McCaig, Sheena Whyte, Caroline McIntee, Calum Macguire, Stewart Reid.
Front Row: Caroline Murray, William Hutchison, Hilary Moore, Adam Burley.
Today we find that the Hall is still widely used and is so popular that the Caretaker has to turn down many applications for lets. Extensive refurbishment has been carried out in the early years of this century.
The SWRI started in Juniper Green St Margaret's Church Hall in 1927. Around 1984 they moved their meeting place to the Village Hall and continue to meet there ( see their own website entry on this website). The Playgroup was originally started by Jennifer Brown, in her own home at Muirend Avenue, but because of its popularity, Jennifer needed larger premises and so moved to the Village Hall. The playgroup, started in 1966, still thrives every morning from Monday to Friday.
Jennifer Brown , Christine McBean and Marion Birrell, well-loved leaders of the Village Hall Nursery from 1966
Miss Anne Bangham began her dancing classes also in 1966 and she continues to teach (2007) the inspiring ballet dancers of tomorrow with great dedication.
In 1984, an Over 50's Keep Fit Club (Movement to Music) class began on Friday afternoons (from 2pm to 3 pm). The class still runs under the qualified and enthusiastic leadership of Arlene Peebles and continues to recruit those who wish to keep mobile, agile and healthy.
There is a Youth Club, a Rifle Club , Line Dancing, a Senior Citizen's Club and Scottish Country Dancing as well as many evening hires for private parties and functions, including discos and dances for the pupils of Juniper Green Primary School. It is a very well run and organised Hall thanks mainly to the efforts of the Juniper Green Association Committees and the caretaker. Indeed, the village and surrounding area would be the poorer without such a Hall. We can be proud of it and it's history. Let's hope that in the next 100+ years we will see it continue to play its part in the social life for all ages of the community of Juniper Green.
The village Hall plays host to social occasions like the Burns supper part of Juniper Green 300 celebrations