Village Hall

Booking equiries for the Hall, please phone Marilyn Moore on 01206 734267
http://www.layervillagehall.org/

History of the Hall

The original Hall was built prior to 1904 and was used as a Boys' Club and for Mother's Meetings. By a lease in 1914 the building was to be used as a Reading and Mission Room for the Parish.

During 1923 the W.I. collected money for an extension as an alternative to building their own Hall. This was approved and during the next two years some additions were made. The 'W.I. Room' was first used by them in May 1926. Their contribution was just over £100, which included the provision of some chairs, benches and a cycle shed.

In 1929 the land was sold to Trustees for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Village. The conveyance required the appointment of a Board of Management, which gave the Vicar prior right to use the Hall on Sundays and gave the Trustees the right to 'veto use of the Hall'.

On 1st February 1954 the property was transferred to the Parish Council at the behest of Charity Commission and the Charity known as the Village Hall Layer de la Haye was formed.

A Car Park was added in 1957 and used as the site of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the first phase of which began with a new entrance hall and Committee Room built in 1974/5. The following year more land was acquired and in 1978 a new Charity was formed, transferring Trusteeship from the Parish Council to a Board of Management, which comprised five elected members and representatives of organisations in the Village.

From the early 1970's it was felt that the Village Hall was no longer adequate to cope with the demands of a Village which had expanded so fast in the 1960's. It was decided that a large portion of the money raised at the Queen's Jubilee celebrations in 1977 should be allocated to a building fund for the extension and improvement of the Village Hall. It was also agreed that the appropriate name for the new Hall be 'The Queen Elizabeth Hall'.  This hall was opened in 1971.

In 2013, the campaign commenced to re-build the original small hall.  Although it had served the village admirably over the years it was really no longer fit for purpose and beyond economical repair.  Following consultation with residents and hall users a design was agreed and fund raising started.  Receipt of some very generous grants from amongst others Essex & Suffolk Water, Veolia, Garfield Weston and donations from many residents enabled work to start on the new Annexe in early 2015.  The fantastic new facility, which includes a large hall, committee room, kitchen, community office and changing rooms, was opened in August 2015. 

The Queen Elizabeth Hall Management Committee consists of five elected members and representatives of most village organisations. The annual meeting takes place in May and the Committee meets at least four times a year. The day to day running decisions are taken by a Standing Committee.