Children's Party Venues in Fleet, Hampshire

Hello Readers!

As many of you know, I am a firm believer that you can have a fantastic Birthday Party at home or in the garden and I have some top tips on what to think about when organising a party at home in my next blog!

But as so many of my lovely clients in Fleet, Hampshire are interested in hall hire, I have compiled a list of my top venue choices and everything you need to know about them so I hope this helps!  With Fleet in Hampshire being such a child-friendly area there is lots of choice so if your favourite venue  is not on this list please do let me know!

Some things to think about before hiring a hall:

1.   What services are included in the price? Most halls have several offers and some can cater food and drinks while others will not allow full use to the facilities so double check exactly what the price includes

2.     Do I have to pay a deposit fee? To reserve a date, most halls ask for a deposit fee, which is usually 25% of the total amount.

3.   What is the hall’s capacity? Don’t forget that your guests must feel comfortable at all times so try not to hire a hall that is far too big or far too small.

4.  How many cars can the parking lot fit? It’s also a good idea to ask about parking arrangements.

5.    Can I have a look before I book?  Most hall managers will be more than happy to show you around the venue before you make a decision and this will allow you to ask any more questions you may have.

6.    How long should I book the hall?  Again, it is a good idea to speak to the Hall Manager as all venues have different policies when it comes to setting up the venue area but if you are hosting a 2 hour party, it may be worthwhile to book the hall for an extra hour to set up and organise the day.

Some Great Venues

The Key Centre, Elvetham Heath, Fleet, Hampshire

The Key Centre has ample parking facilities and is in a very easy to find location (next to Morrison’s).  There are two different types of party, one in the Hall, and the other is a Play Party in the Heath and Village Rooms. They last for two and a half hours, and use of the bouncy castle in the hall if required is included. If you don’t need the bouncy castle, you can still use the hall, or you can hire the Heath and Village Rooms with their own children's toilets and outside play area. Party bookings in all rooms include the use of the kitchen.

The children’s party rates are:

Heath & Village Rooms: £59.95 

Hall: £89.95

To make a booking check out their website or call 01252 623700

http://www.elvethamheath.org.uk/parties.html

Ancells Farm Community Centre, Fleet, Hampshire

Ancells Farm Community Centre is another great choice with lots of parking and a convenient location.  The hall is available for party bookings and is a very decent size. The price at the weekends is £17.50 an hour plus VAT. This is for the Main Hall, other smaller rooms are available at more reasonable prices, but most people book the Main Hall. The Hall can be booked for however many hours or parts of an hour you require. Only the furniture is included in this price.

For any enquiries please contact the Centre Supervisor Karen Godfrey on 07702 834701 or email ancells@fleet-tc.gov.uk

http://www.theharlington.co.uk/ancells_farm.aspx

Zebon Copse Centre, Fleet, Hampshire

Zebon Copse Centre has two main halls which can be combined into one large L-shaped hall by retracting the acoustic screen between them.  Zebon Hall has a stage with comprehensive AV facilities and stage lighting.  Crookham Hall has direct access to the kitchen and also has dedicated toilet facilities to enable users to be completely self-contained when Zebon Hall is in use by another group.

Zebon Copse Centre provides flexible layout, excellent parking, WiFi and an upgraded kitchen.  The price at weekends is £16.80 for a single hall, or £27.00 for both halls.  All prices include VAT and are the hourly rate.  To make a booking enquiry, please follow this link: http://www.zeboncopsecentre.org.uk/zccBook.php?addr=zcc, or call 01252 615003

The Cross Barn, Odiham, Hampshire

The Cross Barn in Odiham is a great place to host a Birthday party and the Great Hall, the largest room in the Cross Barn, accommodates up 80 people and is a beautiful room with lots of old beams for a Princess feel!  The venue has a fully equipped kitchen which is accessible through the great hall and is included when hiring this hall.   Prices for the hall are £19.60 per hour (May – Sep), and £20.60 per hour (Oct – Apr).

For more information, contact 01256 701 803 or follow this link: http://www.thecrossbarn.org.uk/contactUs.asp

Frozen Themed Parties

The latest Disney animation Frozen has been snowballed into our lives becoming a  huge hit with children of all ages that is impossible to ignore!  Frozen awakens children’s imaginations with the icy Queen Elsa, quirky Princess Anna, the perfect Kristoff, a talking and rather camp snowman called Olaf and a blizzardous Kingdom called Arundel – not to mention the seriously catchy songs that are being played everywhere!

Since this film has come out, I have been inundated with Frozen party requests and have thoroughly enjoyed being Queen Elsa and Princess Anna at lots of lovely children’s Birthday Parties in London, Hampshire and Surrey.  From being to so many Frozen themed parties I would say that I have become a bit of an expert on the good, the bad and the ugly of the theme to help out all my lovely readers if your little ones are hoping for a Frozen Party this year.

Lets start with the Ugly…  Recently I turned up at a client’s house early to discover that the children were going to be doing a real life Snowman Making Competition and they had filled some sand boxes with imported snow! Excellent idea if you live in a very cold climate but this was at a garden party in May… Needless to say, by the time the children had arrived there were several paddling pools and even Queen Elsa could not turn water into snow on this occasion!

The Bad:

Most of the time my clients do an excellent job of decorating the venue but on one occasion I turned up to a party at a very stately home with taxidermy reindeer.  The children believed they were very realistic stuffed toys until the Birthday girl proudly explained in detail what they really were! Needless to say there were several freaked out children. My suggestion? Leave taxidermy out of children’s party decorations!

The Good:

Every party I go to has a lot of great decoration ideas and are all different so I could give a very long list of suggestions! However I have cherry-picked a few ideas that I thought were fab and also very simple.  One party I went to had made a lot of effort making beautiful cardboard snowflakes (the simple ones everyone can make!) covered in glitters.  There were literally hundreds over the wall and hanging from the ceiling to make the venue look like a Winter Wonderland.  At the end of the party I mentioned to the Mum how much I liked the decorations and she explained how she had cut them out with the help of her family and children and let the little ones decorate them with glitter and sequins.  They had a great time together making the snowflakes and the little Birthday girl was super excited to show off her creativity on the big day!

Another simple suggestion is to change the colour of your light bulbs to a blue and add sparkly lights across the venue, or wrapping the lights around bushes and trees in the garden.  This gives a really magical feel to the party and is so simple. Most people  have lights stored away from Christmas time so you should be able to get your hands on some for free!

I will be writing about exciting games and giving step by step guides to hosting an amazing Frozen Party in my next blog!

Emma at Once Upon A Time Parties

www.onceuponatimeparties-london.co.uk

07969 841770

Party at Home - Things to think about 2 months before the big day!

Planning the Party

• Think about which room / rooms to use in the house and if you have the space! Parents and brothers and sisters often stay on at the party so you may have more guests than you planned!
• How many children are going to be invited? Plan the room accordingly and add a plus one for the mums!
• Does your child have a favourite character or hobby on which to base a theme on?
• If you are planning an outdoor summer party in the garden, do you have cover if the weather changes?
• Pets. They may be the soppiest animal on the planet but some children will be scared of cats and dogs! Plus loud noises are not ideal for your animal so you may want to think about putting them in a separate room or leaving them with a trusted friend.
• Are you planning on hiring an entertainer or a bouncy castle? If so now is the time to book!

Invitations   

• Confirm names and numbers of guests
• Include an RSVP on the invite with a contact name, telephone and date you need to reply by.  Always include directions to your house and any key features to look out for!
• Include clear start and finishing times
• Parking instructions are a must.
• Include the theme of the party on the invitation and if children should wear fancy dress or old clothes if there are going to be messy crafts and games!

Food

• Are you going to be serving a meal at the party, or nibbles and snacks? 
• Where will the guests be eating their meal?  If space is an issue, a buffet table and floor space will suffice for children, or plan for a table and chairs.
• Don't forget to think about how many chairs and tables you will need for lots of guests!
• Decide if you are going to use an outside caterer.  If so, two months before the party is a good time to book to ensure you get a good caterer!
• Remember to get some adult friendly snacks for the mums and dads!

Cake

• If you are getting a custom made birthday cake start thinking of what kind of design your child would like and do some research!  Ask bakers for some previous examples and book well ahead of time.

Read my blog tomorrow for some tips on a venue at home to think about 2 - 3 weeks before the big day!!

Thanks for reading :)

Once Upon A Time Parties xx

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Once-Upon-A-Time-Parties/490443850995243

www.onceuponatimeparties-london.co.uk