Heckington Players on tour after move from village hall venue after 40 years

Heckington Players announced last week it was a ‘sad day’ as they were asked by Heckington Village Hall Committee to clear out their props and scenery which have been stored at the hall having used it as their venue.

A statement from the am-dram group said it was “a sad day for all involved.”

The group explained in a statement on its social media page: “Since the society's creation, the hall offered us storage free of charge, something we will always be grateful for, and in return we were able to contribute to improving the hall and share our equipment with other groups.”

The Players said in recent years, access to equipment when needed had become more challenging and additional conditions were placed upon hall hire, making it difficult to continue making use of the facilities, particularly as the hall became more in demand.

They moved out on June 4 taking all the props and scenery and equipment stored in three areas at the hall and thanked everyone for their support over the last 30 years.

They added: “We wish the Heckington Village Hall Committee and all the wonderful users of the hall, all the very best for the future.”

A spokesman for Heckington Village Hall Committee explained: “Everyone that hires the hall has to comply with the same booking conditions.

“The players decided they no longer wanted to hire the village hall as they also would need to comply with the same conditions.

“They decided to become a mobile theatre company and so needed to have access to all their equipment at their convenience, thus removed their equipment from three storage areas within the hall.

“As a committee we wish them well in their new chapter of Heckington Players.”

The Players insisted that although the village hall may no longer be their home for now, they are still very much a part of Heckington and are committed to being a local group.

“Players are the audience and members, not the venue, and we are confident we'll continue going from strength to strength.

“The move away from a permanent venue has pushed us to look at taking players on tour around the area.

“Our fantastic spring production at the Great Hale Magna Village Hall helped prove we can deliver our performances anywhere.”

The group say the production in May was a preview of their one act play Hell Wolves and Shadow Hawks.

The Players will take it to the Hunstanton One Act Play Festival on June 30 – July 2.

“We have opted this year not to put on an autumn production to give us time to take stock and plan properly.

“However we’ll be back at a new venue early in 2024 with our new pantomime: Robinson Crusoe,” they stated.

The Heckington Players was recently successful at the National Operatic and Dramatic Association awards for amateur drama groups.

They won Best Youth Production - Suburban Witches; Lockdown Hero Award - The Quest for Lord Quibble’s Custard; Lockdown Hero Award – Sleeping Beauty Pantomime and won an award for Standout performance and community spirit.

• In our version of this story in the Sleaford Standard we incorrectly named Players member Kei Bailey as the spokesman. We apologise for this error.