The Hatley Village Association (HVA) was formed by Hatley Parish Council on 17th January 2012.

But… in her report on behalf of the HVA prepared for the parish council’s annual meeting on 19th May 2026, Kim Wilde, the parish clerk, gave this sad news: ‘primarily [because of] the waning support for events, another group of wonderful volunteers has stood down.’.

And so as this chapter in the history of Hatley finishes – need it be the end of the HVA? Please step forward if you can revive it.

You can read Kim’s full report via this link.

For the record

The very first Pop-up Pub event in the village hall on 4th November 2022. Proceeds went to the village fund.

The original purpose of the HVA was to raise money to maintain the inside of Hatley’s village hall – it was later widened to be a village fund for use in East Hatley and Hatley St George.

Events included monthly coffee mornings, regular pop-up pub evenings, village fêtes, quizzes, Christmas teas, talks on a variety of subjects and many other activities.

Over the years its funds have paid for redecorating the hall (which is available for hire) and supplying new curtains, tables and chairs (the latter also with a grant from South Cambs District Council’s Community Chest).

In 2016, a new kitchen and boiler were installed. In 2022, new toilets, including one for disabled use, and a baby changing unit were fitted. To supplement village funds, finance for both projects included very helpful grants from Awards for All.

‘Hatley village hall, where the splendid new toilets are worthy of a grand hotel’ – Norma Hood on a visit to the hall, October 2022: Just another Sunday?.

Monies raised by the HVA have always been held by Hatley Parish Council, which has allocated them to village projects ‘as and when’.

How the HVA started

The idea for the Association arose from a survey created by Alan Pinney – it was circulated to all homes in East Hatley and Hatley St George in November 2011 and gave useful clues to what uses could be made of the hall.

But as is the way of these things, stuff happens (like the pandemic), people move on and, almost suddenly, it seemed, there were no events in the pipeline.

So, Carole Cooper, having got the HVA going again in 2022 with a new committee of volunteers and getting things to happen (pop-up pub nights, Christmas Shindig, Valentine’s Quiz), handed over the chairman’s role to Linda Hudson in January 2023 who, in October 2023, handed it onto Amy Jones and Sarah Titmus, who worked together as joint chairladies.

Booking Hatley village hall

If you would like to hire the hall for an event there’s a booking form and hire agreement you can download.

Brief history of Hatley Villages Committee

The Hatley Villages Committee was originally set up by the Hatley Social & Athletic Club in the 1940s to organise a Christmas party for the children of East Hatley and Hatley St George. When the club eventually folded, the villages decided to continue the event under the auspices of the Parish Council, who promised to see a chairperson was elected; a committee was formed to raise funds and organise the party.

Money came in from whist drives and dances in the old village hall adjacent to Rookery Nook, demolished when the new village hall was built. Villagers and parents also made donations. Presents were purchased by the committee for each child up to the age of 14 from ‘Larkinsons’, the old department store in Biggleswade, and the Father Christmas outfit was made by a committee member. By the early 1970s a raffle was being held for fundraising, but when the licensing laws made this difficult, dances, usually of the disco variety, were used to bring in funds.

The party was a ‘two-tier’ event with one for the younger children and another for the older ones.  These were always well attended.  Over the years a variety of ideas were tried and originally party games featured largely. They were noisy affairs between competing teams. Then came more modern ideas – such as cartoons, Punch & Judy shows, entertainers and the introduction of carol singing with sherry and mince pies for parents and villagers before home time.

Events for children

By the early 1990s new families were moving into the village and the committee decided it would be good to introduce more events for the children throughout the year. And so the pancake race, Easter egg hunt, Hallowe’en disco party and carol singing around the village were introduced into the calendar. The committee also organised ‘Hatley Hey Day’.

This ran for two years and, although profitable, involved too much work for the small number of people on the committee. At about this time funding was difficult but they were able to carry on with the help of the Village Hall Committee, who waived the hire charge; the Hatley Sports & Social Club, which provided the decorations and Christmas tree; and parents who supplied a present for their own children.

Name change

Round about the year 2000, the name was changed to ‘The Hatley Villages Committee’ in an attempt to draw together occupants of East Hatley and Hatley St George into various social activities. Despite there being only a quarter mile stretch of road between them, the denizens of the two communities, being true Brits, very much go their own rather separate ways.

In 2002 the committee published a handsome booklet to mark the Queen’s Jubilee. With photographs and potted biographies of families, pictures of St Denis’ church in 1910 and 2002 and a history of the Hatleys by Ishbel Beatty, it is an interesting snap shot of the community as it was at the time.

The Committee disbanded in March 2012 after Hatley Village Association was formed. The annual report for 2005 / 2006 survives.

_{Page updated 25th June 2026.}