The HAODS Green Room

 When HAODS moved into their first home, HAODS House, which was housed in a disused nissen hut at Broadbridge Heath, they were delighted to have a large space to use as a Green Room.  A job lot of bold patterned orange and brown carpet tiles was purchased and old armchairs purloined from all over Horsham.   After considerable paperwork a bar licence was obtained.   Two early green Room proprietors were Bryan Swain and Rodney Worsell.

In the mid 1980s when HAODS House transferred to brand new rehearsal rooms at the Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre, a new Green Room was provided at the entrance to the main rehearsal room.  This was an ideal place for chatting and by the 1990s it was being ably run by Carrie Collis, with help from her playing member husband Howard.   Carrie ran the Green Room for over 20 years.   In the latter years at Broadbridge Heath the selling of alcohol was discontinued as awareness of drink driving, and the fact that many members travelled a quite a distance to rehearse, had reduced the demand.    When the original Capitol Theatre was demolished in 1983, one of the dressing room mirrors was given to HAODS and installed in the Broadbridge Heath Green Room.

In 2013, the Green Room was then taken over by playing members Jane O’Sullivan and Chrissie Tomkin.   The Committee approved a small grant for Jane to redecorate the rather tired looking room.   Once again the Green Room became a real hub of activity with members staffing it on a rota basis.   The show week cake rota was introduced.  Members donate an amazing array of cakes during show week which, over the years have raised hundreds of pounds for HAODS funds.

In 2018, the Council relocated HAODS to the old Ambulance Station in Hurst Road.  Howard and Carrie Collis kindly paid for the Green Room to be refurbished by Jane and her husband.