Amenities and Facilities within Yateley

Halls

Yateley has many community halls which can be hired by members of the public or by groups such as the scouts, brownies and rainbows, sports clubs and pre-schools. The Town Council owns and manages The Rose Rent Room in the Tythings, The Monteagle Community Hall, The Youth Suite and the Darby Green Centre. At the present time regular hirers include 2 pre-schools, several dance classes including tap, salsa and line dancing, pilates, yoga, a dominoes club, karate, mother and toddler groups, Tai Chi classes and the brownies. The halls are also used for parties and as venues for meetings.

Other halls in Yateley available for hire include The Frogmore Social Hall, The WI Hall, The Village Hall, Monteagle Scout Hut, Macrae Hall, Yateley Industries Hall and the church halls at St Barnabus, St Peter’s and St Swithuns. Frogmore Community College, Yateley School and Yateley Manor School also hire out function rooms, meeting rooms and sports halls.

Playareas

There are many playareas in Yateley. Yateley Town Council is responsible for the children’s parks on Yateley Green, at Fallowfields and on Frogmore Green. Frogmore Green play area has recently been completely refurbished and now includes play equipment suitable for children up to the age of 12. Yateley Green’s play area is currently depleted due to vandalism but should be renewed by summer 2006. The area at Fallowfield is designed for younger children and is in need of improvement. The other playareas in Yateley are Monteagle Open Space, Winton Crescent, Lower Canes, Churchill Crescent and Hearsay Gardens. These are all owned and managed by Hart District Council and in need of updating and improving.

Open Spaces

There are several open spaces in and around Yateley where leisure time can be spent. The largest is Yateley Common which is especially popular with dog walkers and horse riders. Although designated a Country Park it is managed by Hampshire County Council as a nature reserve where visitors can enjoy quiet, informal recreation. Unfortunately at the moment it is also popular with riders of motorbikes and quadbikes which are causing damage to the natural environment. The common has a dense network of bridleways and footpaths. Day passes for fishing at Wyndhams Pool are available from the rangers, who also organise free informative walks such as Going Batty, Dragons and Butterflies, Alien Invaders and Moth Magic. Yateley Green is another open space well used by the public and sports clubs alike. There is also a pond on the Green where young people can fish. Two public tennis courts are available to hire as is the bowling green. The tennis courts double up in the evenings and during the winter as all weather training facilities which are floodlit and well used by the local junior football clubs and 5 a side teams. Skateboarders can also use a ramp on the Green. The only public toilets in Yateley are sited on the Green but due to vandalism they are only open from April – October during daylight hours. In Frogmore and Darby Green, you will find the Darby Green Playing Fields which are are also used for football. Groups who hire the hall make good use of this area. Unfortunately, the age old tradition of cricket on the village green no longer happens in Yateley. For a variety of reasons, the cricket club has moved down to Sean Devereaux Park, another open space in Yateley. This is a large area predominantly used by football, cricket and hockey clubs. Monteagle open space is green area often used by members of the public for leisure time. Children can kick a ball around, fly kites and picnic in this area. Dog walkers often use it as a short cut to the common. Yateley has several ponds and a comprehensive network of footpaths.

Blackwater Valley

The Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership promotes and coordinates the provision of outdoor recreation along the river valley. Watersports such as jet ski-ing and sailing can be found at Horseshoe Lake on the Yateley boarder. The partnership publishes books on the walks around the Blackwater Valley Path giving detailed routes and maps. New bridleways for horse riders have been opened in the Moulsham Green and Horseshoe Lake areas. Throughout the year, the Partnership holds events including talks, walks and organised bike rides. Conservation work is carried out by the Partnership around the valley and volunteers are always needed.

Yateley Lakes are one of the most famous fisheries in the country and day passes are available. Fishing is also available at Tri-lakes and Mill Lane Lake.

Leisure Centre

Frogmore Leisure Centre is managed by Hart District Council and provides many sports facilities including a Gym, aerobics/dance studio, Yateley’s only floodlit astro turf pitch, squash courts, a health suite and sunbeds. There are also extensive grass areas. The centre provides a crèche. A range of adult education classes are run at Frogmore Community College.

Yateley Centre

Many community facilities are available from Yateley School, which incorporates the Yateley Centre. There is a holiday playscheme providing a large range of activities as well a breakfast and after school clubs. A floodlit training area and a swimming pool are available for hire. The swimming pool is open to the public on a limited basis. A wide range of adult classes can be booked at Yateley Centre covering, Arts and Crafts, computers, First Aid, Performing Arts and Sport and Fitness. Limited junior courses are also available. These include martial arts, short tennis and dancing. Centre Act Drama is a group for children with learning difficulties. Yateley’s Gym provides many facilities such as steam and sauna rooms, circuit training, personal training and are part of the GP referral scheme.

Library

Yateley Library is situated between Yateley School and Westfields Junior School in School Lane. It has recently been extensively refurbished and as well as normal library services offers Children’s Storytime, Baby Rhymetimes and has a monthly Reading Group.

Evening Facilities

Yateley has very limited facilities and amenities for anyone in the evenings unless you belong to a group or organisation. There are several pubs and restaurants but no cinema, bowling, ice-skating, internet cafes or even a shopping centre unless you are prepared to travel and even that isn’t always possible if you rely on public transport.

Youth Clubs

There are, however, several youth clubs run in the area for all age groups. They are predominantly church based and can be found at St Peters, St Barnabus and Yateley Baptist Church. The Pyramid Guild took the place of the Red Cross Youth and Junior Groups in 2002 and runs on Thursday evenings at The Red Cross Centre. The Hampshire Youth Information Project, which aims to inform teenagers, meets at the Youth Suite on Mondays and Tuesdays. There are also a few courses run at the local comprehensive schools as detailed above. Yateley Hockey Club, Yateley Cricket Club and several football clubs run training sessions during the evenings for members. This is covered more thoroughly in the sport and leisure section.

Adult Learning

One popular group for adults is U3A which currently has over 300 members. A waiting list exists for new members. Within this group are about 40 sub groups which you can join depending on your interests and hobbies. They include music, food and wine, dancing, walking, poetry, scrabble and many more.

Many other groups exist within Yateley and these will be included in the sport and leisure section.