An annual Barbecue for the benefit of local Charities has been run at the Farm for nearly 50 years now.The format of the Barbecue, with an ox-roast, music dancing and sideshows, was the brainchild of the Round Table, who created it in the early 1960’s and ran it very successfully for many years.

The original barn was a shed that had belonged to Sinah Warren Army Camp during WW2. On the Farm, it became a chicken shed, which was destroyed during the storm of 1987.

 

The Barbecue was a very popular annual event on the Island, and when the Round Table gave it up, the Farm staff and local people formed a Committee to enable it to continue. Subsequently, Havant Lions Club took over, and ran it for a further 3 years.

 

The Hayling Island Barbecue Society was formed in 1991, initially with a Committee of just 4. With the help of many friends, we sold 535 tickets, decorated the barn with a TV Soaps theme, manned the stalls, and made a profit of £3200 for the Rainbow Trust. Since then, the working Committee has grown to 7, plus a bar Committee, and in the last 18 years, with the help of many friends, we have entertained nearly 11,000 people, and thanks to the generosity of our guests, we have raised well over £100,000 for mainly local Charities

 

The format of the Barbecue has had to change over the years to comply with entertainment legislation, to anticipate our guest tastes, and to make the event easier to run. In 2006, we decided to put more emphasis on the music, by booking the best bands we could afford, and we re-branded the event Bands in the Barn, to emphasize the change. The music has exceeded expectations, and we hope that this will enable the event to continue long into the future.