There are tables and chairs for both children and adults and there is also a piano.

There are several toilets including one for the disabled.

The main hall has an adjoining well-equipped kitchen, with electric cooker, fridge, microwave, plus crockery and cutlery for 50-100 people.

There are also wine glasses to welcome friends at our big occasions as well as electric kettles to help supply endless cups of coffee and tea.

Between the church building and the hall there is a pleasant paved courtyard which can be used with the hall for open-air activities (see picture below). On the other side of the hall there is a side garden with shrubs and small artificial lawn, which can also be used for outside activities and refreshments.

There is also a small car park for six cars and plenty of street parking.

The hall is used on Sundays for Parish Breakfast and throughout the week for numerous meetings and social functions connected to the church.

• Our own Sunday School (The Jays) meets here regularly during term time during the 09.30 Parish Communion. The children come into church until the end of the first hymn and return again ready for the Communion. Children may join the Sunday School at about three years old. Besides the regular school sessions, the children organise cake sales, sleepovers, etc. raising money for charity.
Contact: Lou Coaker-Basdell 020 8979 2040

• Our Brownies use the hall from 18.00-19.00 on Tuesdays and the Guides follow at 19.15 until 20.45. Brownies are aged seven to 10 and Guides 10-14. They enjoy a variety of activities, including badge work, creative projects, off-site visits and bike rides in Bushy Park.
Contact: Brownies - Natasha Clifford 020 8979 0361; Guides - Charlotte Etchells 020 8941 8214

Some of the other regular users of the hall include:
• Hillpark Nursery School which has a strong community feel and since opening has served over 300 local families, many of whom are members of the congregation. Some families have been with them for over a decade, two of the current children being the fourth siblings to attend. The school has always benefited from a close relationship with parents; most of the long-serving team began as parent helpers and have gone on to complete qualifications in Early Years. The high quality of the staff and provision has been consistently praised by Ofsted.
Contact: Sarah Merry, Hillpark Nursery, St James’s Church Hall, 020 8941 0495 (mornings, term time)

• Two Yoga Classes meet in the hall, both following the works of Mr Iyenga.
The Monday class, from 19.00-21.00, is an established group and welcomes beginners or intermediate students.
Contact: Marie Curbie 020 8894 0154
The Thursday Class meets from 19.30-21.00. Teacher Sadiye Stevens says the continuous practice of yoga promotes strength, flexibility, increased mental and emotional clarity and brings each individual into closer harmony with their true nature.
Contact: Sadiye Stevens 079 0341 9703

• The Ash School of Theatre Arts runs Dance Classes on Monday afternoons for children over three years old. Established for more than 30 years, the school enters children for examinations as well as performing in shows for charity. The classes hope to improve children’s confidence and creative skills, whilst at the same time making new friends.
The Monday class meets from 16.00-17.30.
Contact: Judith Ash 020 8979 7038

• Actfirst Drama Group meets on Wednesdays from 16.00 to 17.00. The enthusiastic five to eight-year-olds enjoy games, professional acting tuition and rehearsals for shows. In July 2008 they performed at Hampton Hill Playhouse. Actfirst also offers classes for eight to 18-year-olds and private acting tuition for LAMDA exams.
Contact: 020 88943053 www.actfirstdrama.co.uk.

• Hampton Hill Photographic Society meets on the third Wednesday of the month from 19.30 to 22.00.
Contact: secretary@hamptonhillps.org

• Special Events
Some regular hirers book ‘special days’. The Bridge Group will be holding a Bridge Drive in February 2009 in aid of Marie Curie. The yoga teachers sometimes have day workshops. The hall is used as a music rehearsal room (when the church is busy) and Dragon Drama hold workshops during the school holidays. It is also used for a wide variety of children’s parties, with entertainers, bouncy castles and discos, as well as dinner parties, family celebrations of baptisms, anniversaries, birthdays and weddings. Not least the Hall is used as a Polling Station for local and general elections!