The Official Opening was held in the September although Hall users had been making use of the facilities for some months. The Playgroup had been the first group to move in. Bands of volunteers had been completing the internal decorating in order to get the work done at minimum cost.
Here is the article from the Spring 1986 issue of East Hanningfield News, penned by Alan Dixon, Chairman of the Parish Council and the East & West Hanningfield representative on Chelmsford Borough Council.
"The first few days of 1986 saw an event of major importance for the village, with the opening on 13th. January, of the new village hall, after five months of building work, on the playing field, by our contractors. It was, however, touch and go right to the last minute, since completion of the roadway and car park, which was a pre-condition for the opening, had been in the balance until the end of the previous week, due to the appalling weather.
"Not withstanding the problematic weather, the work was completed to the target timetable, and the first hirers, the East Hanningfield Playgroup, moved in for the start of their spring term, right on time. Thus, what has admittedly seemed at times to have been an almost unattainable goal, had at last, become reality.
"This considerable achievement has, in fact, been the result of 12 1/2 years of fund raising efforts, plus careful pre-planning, co-ordination and administration by the present Hanna's Field Charity and all its predecessor committees. The vast range of work has included planning applications, first for a temporary building, and more recently for the permanent structure; building control submissions and negotiations of details; negotiation of landscaping requirements for road, car park and planting schemes; design and layout of mains water and electricity services to the chosen site; layout and negotiation of connection agreements for the foul sewer connection; adaption of the existing surface water disposal arrangements; co-ordination of finance, applications for grants and loans from many sources; and negotiation of fire regulations and licensing of public building approvals.
"All of these tasks have involved extensive correspondence, and scores of meetings, whilst during the course of the building's construction, it was necessary to have an almost daily presence for project management purposes.
"The resultant building is an enormouse tribute to all those people, many of whom no longer live in East Hanningfield, who have helped with the project through the years since the first fundraising event of the newly formed East Hanningfield Community Centre Appeal Committee in June 1973, no matter how large or small their contribution, since without this continuous support, the project would have failed long ago. Instead of which, East Hanningfield now has a multi purpose building for use by all sections of our community, which is already the envy of many neighbouring communities, and one of which we may all be justifiably proud." Alan Dixon