Recently, a large octagonally shaped hall was inaugurated in the north of England at Hellaby, near Maltby, South Yorkshire. Its unusual design merited an article in the Journal of the Institution of Structural Engineers. The writer was also impressed by the volunteer labor program used to complete the construction. The article stated: “Once the [steel] frame was completed the International Bible Students’ Association’s [Jehovah’s Witnesses] ability to mobilise large numbers of voluntary workers meant that the building was completed rapidly and enthusiastically. . . . The East Pennine Assembly Hall is a notable example of what can be achieved by a combination of skilled professionals and dedicated voluntary workers.” In fact, a total of 11,000 volunteers worked at this site.

At Haysbridge in Surrey, south of London, a 50-year-old school complex was bought and converted into an Assembly Hall. It is nestled in 28 acres (11 ha) of beautiful English countryside, making an ideal setting for Bible conferences and education.

France now has its first two Assembly Halls, one located some 30 miles (50 km) north of Paris, at the city of Creil. It has seating for 1,870 people. The other is in the south of France at Marignane, a few miles northwest of Marseilles. These, too, were built by volunteer labor. In fact, the one near Marseilles took 350,000 volunteer man-hours to complete.

Each project is based on voluntary and anonymous contributions from the Witnesses themselves. Likewise, the major part of the labor is voluntary. This results in significant cost savings. As The Structural Engineer stated regarding the project in Yorkshire, England: “The cost savings were also impressive: under competitive tender the centre would have cost £2.5M[illion] in total, but the actual cost will be no more than half that figure.”

Spain now has three Assembly Halls​—one in Madrid and two in Barcelona (one in the city, the other a few miles outside the city). Two were formerly movie theaters, and the third was an unused factory building. Volunteer labor and voluntary contributions have turned them into Bible education centers for thousands of Witnesses from nearby congregations. In every nation a willing spirit motivates all​—from adults to children—​to participate in these Assembly Hall projects.