OVER 100 guests recently attended a party to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Hatfield Heath’s drama group ‘Heath Players’

The party was held in the Peter Lines Memorial Hall as the Village Hall was renamed in memory of a long-standing member of the Players.

The group’s first production in May 1968 was Emlyn William’s ‘Night Must Fall’ which was directed by a local actor named Chris Timothy. Chris wrote and directed many of the early pantomimes before moving from the area and finding fame with the BBC series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. Chris still follows the fortunes of the group and took time out of his filming schedule for ‘Eastenders’ to attend. As he announced to revellers, ‘nothing would have kept me away’!

Also in attendance was Charlotte Schroeder who appeared in the very first production. She cut the celebratory cake with Chris.

Ex-members travelled from Edinburgh and Cornwall to attend the celebrations. John Paine who acted as the group’s Music Hall chairman for many years introduced a number of performances that ended with a medley of music hall songs.

The Players’ extensive archives of programmes, photos and newspaper reviews were on display as well as an impressive array of posters and costumes from over the years.

The Players have produced over 130 productions throughout its history and each show had someone present at the party.

Members of the public will be able to browse the Players’ archives at the Village Festival on June 24 when the Local History Society will be celebrating the Anniversary on their stand.