HIAM Sports & Social Club was founded in 1957 by Sir Frederick Hiam Limited for employees and their families. Situated in the small village of Prickwillow some 4 miles from the city of Ely in Cambridgeshire, HIAM is now run independantly of its founders and membership is open to all.
Hiams has one of the best dance floors in East Anglia and holds regular Rock'n'Roll Nights, Country Music Nights and Ballroom and Sequence Dances.
See the What's On guide for full details.
HIAM has always had a very strong social side which has now overtaken the sporting activities with just outdoor bowls and the usual bar sports now being played.
During the late 50’s and 60’s the club was host to some of the country’s top bands. This was the club’s heyday with people flocking from all over the eastern counties to this tiny village in order see their favourite chart topping performers. The large dance floor would be packed and on stage would be bands such as Freddie and The Dreamers, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, Marmalade, The Searchers and The Hollies to name but a few.
The club went through a quieter period in the 80’s and 90’s, becoming a centre for ballroom and sequence dancers who were able to take advantage of one of the best dance floors in the area.
In more recent years, as it approaches its 50th anniversary, the club has started to see some echoes of its past having become one of the top country music venues in the region.
Building on the success of the country music, the club started holding bi-monthly Rock’n’Roll Nights in 2005. These nights have proved so successful that from June 2006 they will be held each month, nomally on the 3rd Friday of the month.
The club is now planning to hold Sixties Revival Nights starting with The Fortunes in December 2006 with their original 60''s line-up followed by the Merseybeats in March 2007.
The revival of country, rock''n''roll and sixties music is making the club a magnet for music lovers today as it was for those young people fifty years ago eager to hear the top bands of the 50’s and early 60’s .