Entertainments

For many years I have been member of the former Haywards Heath Operatic Society, (now Mid-Sussex Theatre Productions) either as part of the cast or in a supporting role. Clair Hall has been, in the past, a suburb venue for productions. Prior to the building of Clair Hall the shows had to be put on in School halls, which was far from ideal. In more recent years the rising cost of hiring the Hall had become a burden for the Society. However, with the demise of the Martlets Hall in Burgess Hill, there is now not a performance venue large enough to hold a good sized audience in this part of Mid-Sussex. I have attended many concerts in Clair Hall, including concerts given by professionals like ‘Blake’, & such concerts are usually played to a backed house. The monthly cinema evenings were also very popular. The Hall itself and different parts of the building have been used for meetings (ie: U3A), for Church Services, Community Choir rehearsals (inChoir), for Royal British Legion gatherings and Area Flower Demonstration Days twice a year. This names but a few of the many events and local organisations who will be badly affected if Clair Hall were to close permanently. In my opinion, and I’m sure that of thousands of other local residents, it would be a very sad and retrograde step that would touch the lives of a considerable number of the population in Mid-Sussex.