Our long-standing Chairman, Markus Bolton, has now resigned from the Management Committee as he has moved away from the area.  Markus has been Chairman for more than 20 years and has overseen great improvements to the Bernard Hall.

One of the first changes Markus introduced was the addition of disabled access, followed soon by the new toilet area.  Then, after a great deal of work on his part to obtain a major grant, the wonderful new kitchen was built in 2010.  Much needed general refurbishment, including a completely new heating system, has also been undertaken at his instigation in recent years.

It was also Markus’ inspiration which led to the setting up of the Village Picture House which, from the beginning, showed new and classic films.  However, because of his brilliant idea to approach the National Theatre, we are also able to show NT Live performances, making the Cuddington Picture House one of the smallest NT Live venues in the country.  Our popular cinema has helped financially to support the village hall, and is an important social amenity for many local residents, who otherwise would not be able to see films and plays.

Rob Morris-Jones (right) has now taken on the role of Chairman of the Bernard Hall Management Committee.

The Bernard Hall Management Committee and the Village Picture House are delighted to announce that we have installed an induction loop system in the Hall, to make it easier for the hard-of-hearing during films and other events.

The way the system works is as follows: the centre audio channel from our films and stage plays (which carries the actors’ speech) is fed into a special amplifier that drives an electrical current into a loop of cable fitted around the hall.  As the current flows through the cable it “broadcasts” the audio signal throughout the room.  The signal is picked up by a small coil fitted inside most hearing aids and is amplified into high quality sound delivered directly to the ear of the hearing aid user.  To receive the signal, switch your hearing aid to “T” or “Telecoil”.

We believe this new induction loop equipment will be of real benefit to those who wear hearing aids.  The equipment will also work at any events in the hall where microphones are used, such as the Annual Village Meeting, the Church Supper and some concerts.

As with our major upgrade to the hall lighting and acoustics last summer, the majority of the new equipment will be paid for out of the proceeds from the Village Picture House.  Please continue to support the cinema so that we can continue to maintain the hall and its facilities to a high standard.

Markus Bolton
Chairman, Bernard Hall Management Committee

The Bernard Hall is pleased to announce a major upgrade to the lighting and acoustics in the hall, funded by proceeds from the Village Picture House.

All the old, ugly fluorescent tubes and unreliable spot lights have been replaced by state-of-the-art, energy-efficient LED panels in the ceiling.  These panels have a special transparent diffuser to reduce glare and, thanks to some clever electronic circuitry, can be dimmed from either end of the hall.  The lighting above the stage has been doubled and a dedicated ‘tech’ light has been installed at the back of the hall to illuminate the sound and lighting control desks during major drama productions and concerts.

With its solid wood floor and equally hard surfaces on the walls and ceiling, the Bernard Hall has always suffered from very poor acoustics.  Sound would bounce off the hard surfaces and reverberate around the room, reducing the clarity of all speech and making movie dialogue hard to understand.  Now, almost 100 acoustic tiles have been glued to the ceiling in between and around the LED lights, reducing the amount of reverberation by about two thirds.  We expect this to make a huge difference, not just to film soundtracks but to all events in the hall where speech is important such as village meetings, concerts, drama productions and community meals.

Many thanks to Chris Long, the Bernard Hall technical manager, who has funnelled substantial expertise, time and enthusiasm into this project and made the upgrade the success that it is.  The new Picture House season starts on 1st September with the National Theatre Live production of The Deep Blue Sea and we can look forward to a great improvement in sound quality.

Markus Bolton, Chairman

The Bernard Hall Management Committee is delighted to announce that the work to equip our new cinema facilities is now complete and that the Village Picture House web page is now live.

• High-definition video on a commercial-sized 4.6 metre screen

• High-fidelity, multi-channel surround sound

• New upholstered seating with armrests

• Licensed bar for wine, beer and soft drinks

• Freshly ground coffee, tea and snacks

• Refreshments courtesy of Jeyan at Cuddington Stores

We show a range of films including action, drama, sci-fi, children’s and romantic comedy movies, including both recent releases and older films, so hopefully something for everyone.  Tickets for films are priced at just £5 for adults and £4 for under-18s, students and over-60s.

The Village Picture House has scored a significant coup – we are one of just 600 venues in the UK (and one of only a few village halls) licensed to show live and pre-recorded screenings of National Theatre productions.  These events have been hugely successful and attract sell-out audiences in large venues across the UK and around the world.  National Theatre prices are set at £10 per person, the lowest price we are allowed to charge under the terms of our contract.

You can buy tickets at Cuddington Stores (cash only, please) or book online using PayPal, a debit or credit card.  A surcharge of 25p per ticket is applied when booking online.  There are only seventy seats per night, and many events sell out quickly, so book early!  To make sure that you receive priority email updates about new Village Picture House screenings:
  - Sign in to the village website
  - Click the ‘Your Preferences’ tab
  - Tick the box labelled Village Picture House
  - Click the ‘Submit’ button at the foot of the screen

Many thanks to AVDC Community Chest, a partnership with Vale of Aylesbury Housing, for providing nearly half of the funding for this project.  It would have been really difficult without them.

Markus Bolton