Happy New Year!
Thank you all who attended the Carols around the Tree in December – there seemed enough mulled wine and mince pies for everyone! Thank you too for your generosity, as you raised £185 – this has been given to Headway to support the amazing work they do and the village is proud that they are part of Kennington.
If you’ve got a real tree this Christmas and you’re a garden waste customer, Biffa will collect it from Tuesday 12 January – just leave it by your brown bin (but please not in it, as it’s tricky for the crews to get it out). If you’re not a garden waste customer, Christmas tree recycling has been arranged as in previous years, with both Forest Side and Playfield Road playing fields car parks being the areas where you can take your old Christmas trees. Please make sure they are there for collection by Friday 15 January 2016.
The sports pavilion at Playfield Road playing field is a well-used and loved building, but it hasn’t fared well over the years of its use. It looks tired, fed up and in a bad state of repair, with the facilities inside far from today’s expectations.
Kennington Parish Council, led by Chairman Colin Charlett, along with the Playing Field Association Committee, led by Chairman Tim Gardiner, has formed a project group to invigorate life into this facility. Before anything can even be investigated, the team needs to know what local organisations and individuals would like out of such a facility. Funding for the project will be sought from regional and national organisations.
The team has quickly come to the conclusion that, subject to the amount of interest, the best way forward would be to start again, and build a replacement facility, which could cater for and be accessible to all age groups from toddlers to centenarians, to include able bodies, disabled and everyone in between. The project will allow for additional car parking.
The team envisage a friendly, clean and welcoming building with a light and airy room to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee, a small separate kitchen and meeting room, looking out over the playing field and the Memorial Field. Crisp and clean changing rooms, catering for boys/men and girls/women, encompassing a referee’s room, with storage space, including a garage for all sorts of sports equipment.
Underfloor heating, with grey water for the toilets would be desirable, as would solar panels and air turbines on the roof. As you can tell the team is very enthusiastic and although its members are aware that there is a lot of hard work ahead of them, they cannot do this on their own. They need your help to tell them what you actually would like from this new facility – what would make you visit it?
Would you use it if you could:
- host your children’s parties there, with a facility opening out onto the existing play area?
- have a cup of coffee and relax?
- play cricket while your children play?
- play football while your children play?
- play table tennis – in door or out?
- play other games?
- attend art classes?
The team would dearly love to hear your views and thoughts at the earliest opportunity.
Please contact either Anne Feather on or Tim Gardiner on or give Anne a ring on 01865 421126 and show your support.
You may remember earlier in the year Mr Leo Boles presented the Council with a cheque for £1400 to purchase a fourth public defibrillator for the village. The Council’s intention is to install this fourth unit in the area of Poplar Grove/Meadow View Road – if there is anyone who would be OK with a unit installed on the outside of their garden wall, please contact the Clerk. The defibrillator requires an electric supply, not for the unit itself, but to ensure that the unit is maintained at an adequate temperature. The cost of this power is of the order of £35/annum which the Council will obviously reimburse.
Finally, it was agreed at December’s Parish Council meeting that it discussion it would write to Nicola Blackwood MP; Chief Constable, County, District and City Councils regarding its concerns surrounding the activities at Red Bridge Hollow, which would appear to be escalating. The Council would suggest that residents also write expressing their concern.
