The Public Meeting was then arranged for the 5th May 2005, and this was promoted by poster and by a parish wide leaflet drop, and in the Parish Magazine.
The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Colin Slade, Chairman of the Winsham Parish Council. Supporting speakers were John Sullivan, Chairman of the Jubilee Hall Management Committee, Rod Wells FRICS, joint author of the Structural Survey, and Sarah Gleadell, a professional fund raiser, and Hon. Secretary of the JHMC.
It started with a short introduction to the problem facing the village by Colin Slade. It was then followed by a more detailed explanation by John Sullivan and Rod Wells of what work needed to be done, why it needed to be done, the approximate cost and the means of fund raising that were available to the JHMC. Sarah Gleadell explained that grants from various sources were essential to the success of the project, as was the need to raise money from the community. Grants were unlikely to be obtained unless it could be proved that the community had made a substantial effort to raise money from within the parish.
After a short break for refreshment, the members of the audience were invited to ask questions or express points of view. The possibility of establishing a new hall in another part of the village, alongside the commercial development of the hall into residential accommodation was discussed at some length. In the end it was discounted on the basis of cost. A new hall would cost about £500,000 to build and equip.
By the end of the meeting, there was a general consensus in favour of the JHMC proceeding on the basis that they would aim to refurbish the hall to as good as standard as could be afforded, from fund raising.