BEECH residents welcomed East Hampshire MP?Damian Hinds and Alton Rural county councillor Mark Kemp-Gee to the village last Friday for an official flag-raising ceremony at the village hall.

After meeting people gathered for the monthly village social, Mr Hinds and Beech village hall chairman Nick Charman made short speeches before the new flag was raised.

Mr Charman said: “The village hall flagpole, other than for celebrations such as the Queen’s Jubilee, is usually bare. So the hall committee decided to put a flag on it – and chose a Beech village flag, with the village logo. We thought it would be a bit of fun (not to take ourselves seriously) to have a ‘formal’ flag-raising at the June social.

“We are fortunate to have a secluded hall and village green so a flag will also do a great job making the hall more visible.”

The village of Beech, just outside Alton, has a thriving community hub in the guise of its village hall, which is a popular venue for parties, wedding receptions, clubs and classes.