Chorleywood Village Day resumed business as usual this July, as stalls, live performances, the Cider Club, and generations of all ages filled up The Common during the beaming heatwave.
Held on Saturday, July 11, Chorleywood Parish Council organised the community-spirited event, as Stagecoach produced an act alongside a Taekwondo team too.
Ever since the opening edition of the festival in 2000, Chorleywood has enticed locals to get together and come as one in the community for a day full of smiles.
Vanessa Rousseau, clerk to Chorleywood Parish Council, said: “There’s loads of different groups, associations and charities combining for a fabulous occasion.
“Even though it’s absolutely roasting, everybody has come out to celebrate the summer together. It’s just a really special day – the community at its best.”
Opposite the ChorleywoodNews stand that reporter Callum Milne and designer Evelyn Swann ran were band performances running throughout the day, including a sixth-form band with no name and a drummer in Year 9. The “one-more-song” shouts from crowds sat on bales of hay rang out through The Common.
Despite the successful nature of the occasion, the village day faced a few challenges in the process.
The clerk said: “We had to cancel the dog show, which was 100 per cent the right decision. It’s no place for a dog – that arena’s really hot. We might do something like that in the future when it’s a bit cooler.
“One little girl also got stung by a wasp, which was really, really sad. But she’s ok. She’s been sucking on ice cubes and is recovering.”
This event marked the first in Vanessa’s control, as she began her role in recent weeks.
She said: “I’ve actually only started about eight weeks ago, but I’ve lived in Chorleywood for a very long time. It’s very close to my heart, Chorleywood – The Common, especially.”
Chorleywood Village Day also welcomed special guests, including Stephen Giles-Medhurst OBE, Leader of Three Rivers District Council (TRDC), who claimed the day was a success for the area.
Speaking to ChorleywoodNews, he said: “It’s a bit of an atmosphere, isn’t it? It’s convenient to walk up to it, you’ve got music going. We’ve got a huge, brilliant community spirit with a lot of organisations serving us in the area.
“It is also a day to build relationships. There’s one organisation that want to rent one of the buildings in Chorleywood to do a workshop there.
“I’ve spoken to them about how they can join with parish councils to help them have that building in conjunction with Three Rivers. So, it’s useful contacts and speaking to people about what’s going on in the community.”
Sponsored by Robsons, the festivities ran from 12pm to 4pm. However, live music continued until several minutes later, as the viewers couldn’t accept the finale.
Due to the sheer triumph of the day, expect a timely return in the summer of 2027.
Feature image: Callum Milne
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