Curridge Village - Curridge Playground

A Successful Playground volunteer weekend

17/5/2022

A group of volunteers was treated to a warm and sunny weekend at the playground in early May '22, and completed the build of a new path running inside the playground fence along the western boundary of the site as well as weed strimming, cleaning of the furniture and other general maintenance tasks.

The Trustees are grateful to all of the local families that helped out over the two days, as well as those residents that helped with local litter picking over the same weekend.

Curridge Playground Trustees Update - April 2019

1/4/2019

Of course, our post this morning was an April fool which I hope you all enjoyed! (/currige-playground.html).

The playground is a community asset, one which we hope to raise the profile of. We would like to encourage all residents to use it but also contribute to it. This can be done in many ways - ad hoc litter picking, helping the small band who try to improve it, planting flowers or bulbs;, cleaning the seat and picnic tables. We do not have all the ideas so let us have your thoughts and suggestions, they would be much appreciated.

By way of a proper update, the goal posts have indeed be given a new orientation, this to help managing wear and tear on the goal mouth areas. Repair works to the old goal mouths will begin in early April but we hope to be able to re-open the central pitch area immediately after the easter holiday.

A new gate has been erected to try and manage potential issues with access but it also provided a bit more shape to the playground. The Bay trees that were planted in summer 2017 are unfortunately looking a bit sad, following the drought of last summer, so it might be the case we need to replace some of them in the future - ideas and help on replacing them would be most welcome.

The small band of Trustees was sad to lose Mr Andy Hanrahan who has stepped down from his role after a 5 year stint as Treasurer and Clerk. However we are delighted to have been joined by Mr Neil Wood (who takes over from Andy as Treasurer and Clerk) and Major Christie Broadbent.

If anyone else would like to join us to help develop the playground in the future, please feel free to drop us a note.

Ray ffrench
Chairman of the Trustees

Pitch repair update

13/6/2018

The grass field at Curridge Playground has today been reopened to the public, however four small areas remain cordoned off, including both goal mouths, whilst we wait for the new grass in these areas to catch up. The trustees will post a further update when the whole field is ready for use.

Please encourage children to take care when using the field to avoid the temporary fencing stakes, and to keep feet out of the closed off areas that are marked with red and white tape. Under no circumstances should any of the protective cordons be moved or dismantled by members of the public.

In the coming weeks an additional area to the east of the current pitch will be cultivated and grass seeded, filling an area between the field and the tree line and park bench on that side.

The trustees would like to thank Bryan Deacon for his help this week to mow the field in readiness for reopening.

Curridge Playground Pitch Renovation

1/5/2018

The Trustees wish to inform all residents that a major program of repairs to the grass activity area at Curridge Playground is due to start this week (weather permitting). This will involve application of fresh top soil and re-seeding across the entire pitch area, and will result in the field being out of action for the next 6 weeks or so. Water sprinklers may be employed periodically during the closure.

The perimeter of the field will be closed off with temporary fencing until such time that the grass has established, and we ask for your cooperation in ensuring that nobody enters the field during this time.

The Trustees apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused by these works, but it is a necessary action to rejuvenate and strengthen the existing grass surface. The pitch has suffered significant wear and tear during the recent extended damp weather, and this reseeding will give us the best chance of a thick and durable grass surface being established before the dry summer months.

If you have any questions, please contact the trustees by email to curridge.playground@gmail.com

Curridge Playground Update - January 2018

29/1/2018

It has been more that a year since the last update from the trustees, and in that time we have continued with Phase 2 of our plan to improve the Playground following the major capital works of Phase 1 undertaken in 2016. We hope that many residents and visitors to the area have been able to enjoy the recent additions including 9 mature bay trees, kindly donated by Parkway Shopping in Newbury, plus 2 new picnic tables and 2 new park benches paid for by donations from local companies and the family and friends of the late Mr Dermot ffrench. We also extended the new fencing alongside the access road to the school.

The football pitch has seen an intense amount of use, and it is great to see so many local children and youths getting enjoyment from the facility both during formal PE sessions at Curridge School and for recreational use at the weekends and in the long summer evenings. The pitch is suffering from wear and tear, particularly in these winter months, and the trustees plan to embark on a major program of repairs in the spring which will result in the pitch being out of action for a number of weeks – more information will be communicated nearer the time.

The Trustees will continue with a series of improvements to the area in 2018. We hope by this time next year to have planted some butterfly and bee friendly plants and put up some bird boxes. The trustees are looking at ways people can help and contribute and will share these ideas in a future post. We are keen to emphasise that the Playground is for the whole community and visitors alike; the more that use it the better.

We would like to thank the people and organisations that have helped us get this far and look forward to keeping the momentum going forward. This includes the band of loyal volunteers that have helped us on site with manual labour over the last year, be that shredding tree waste, spreading wood chippings or installing trees and benches.

If you have any ideas on how we could improve the Playground, or things you can do to help, please share them with the Trustees (email curridge.playground@gmail.com or call 07768 500222). We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.
Ray, Chris, Andy, James & Rob
Curridge Playground Trustees

Curridge Playground is kindly supported by

Thanks to Our Supporters!

28/10/2016

Thanks to an unexpected and generous grant from Greenham Common Trust, our online fundraising appeal has already reached its target, so this appeal is now closed. Look out for further progress at the Playground over the Autumn!

The trustees would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals and organisations for their support, financial pledges and donations so far:

CURRIDGE PLAYGROUND TRUSTEES UPDATE

30/8/2016

Since the last update (May 2016), the newly levelled and grassed activity area was re-opened to the public and has been enjoyed extensively by Curridge Primary School pupils and the wider public since mid June. The trustees are now working with a contractor to establish a regular mowing and repair schedule for the grassed area, and closed the field in mid August to allow repairs in time for the new school term starting in September.

The trustees are currently negotiating with suppliers for some new seating and litterbins, the first of which should installed in September. We will be working over the autumn to create dedicated seated picnic areas in a few locations around the site and for this we would be grateful for volunteers to come and help. The trustees are also investigating additional fencing around the school access road to provide increased security for children using the playground and prevent unauthorised vehicular access onto the grassed activity area.

The trustees would like to hold an official opening ceremony for the playground in early autumn, further details of which will be communicated later.

Beyond this, the trustees are keen to hear your views as local residents as to what you would like to see in future developments at the playground. We would like to work with nature wherever possible to expand the usability of the whole playground site, but if you have any specific ideas for sustainable ways to make use of the wooded areas for the enjoyment of local individuals or groups then please get in touch.

The trustees have received a number of donations from local businesses and individuals towards the next stages of development for the playground, including £500 from Curridge Residents’ Association donated from the Grill & Chill event on 18th June.

Curridge Playground has been a beneficiary of Waitrose’s Community Matters charity collection in their Thatcham store during August.

We have also launched an online appeal with West Berkshire’s “Find Me A Grant” website, to attract Gift Aid and matched funding from Greenham Common Trust. The purpose of this particular appeal is to raise £2000 over then next 12 months, for tools to be used by the trustees and other volunteers for upkeep of the playground. To make a donation please visit our appeal at: http://www.findmeagrant.org/wberks/browse.aspx, and search for Curridge Playground Enhancement, WB11525.

The trustees would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals and organisations for their support, financial pledges and donations so far:

Chieveley Parish Council
Councillor Hilary Cole
The family and friends of the late Mr Dermot ffrench

As the project progresses, further updates will be provided through www.curridgevillage.co.uk and www.mychieveley.co.uk .

CURRIDGE Playground Trustees Update

5/5/2016

Trustees Update, 5th May 2016
Since the last update from the trustees (March 2016), contractors have been hard at work on the Curridge Playground site.

Brambles around the wooded area were cut down, and will be sprayed in the next few weeks.
A number of trees were removed or pruned to open up the main activity area, along with selected trees from elsewhere around the site.
The roadside boundary hedge was cut right back and a new fence constructed alongside Curridge Road.
The activity area was cultivated and re-seeded a couple of weeks ago. After the grass is established it will be rolled and marked out as a football pitch and new goalposts erected.
In addition, a great effort by volunteers completed a new path across the wooded area parallel to the road, recycling many of the smaller tree stems that were felled as well as all of the chipped material from the soft tree foliage.
The trustees received pledges from a number of local residents and businesses, which will fund some new seating in the coming weeks, and we continue to explore further funding sources to support nature and wildlife friendly enhancements to the playground.
The remaining co-opted trustee position was recently filled with a representative from the MoD Hermitage Station.
The trustees would like to encourage all local residents to explore the improved facility. The activity area is currently fenced off until the grass is ready for use, so please keep children and animals off this area, but residents are welcomed to make use of the rest of the playground site.
As the project progresses, further updates will be provided through www.curridgevillage.co.uk and www.mychieveley.co.uk .

Curridge Playground Trustees Update

1/3/2016

Trustees Update, 1 March 2016

Since the last update from the trustees (November 2015), agreement was secured from Chieveley Parish Council for the allocation of a maintenance grant in the 2016‐17 budget for essential upkeep of the Playground. Hilary Cole, District Councillor for Chieveley, was also successful in securing a grant from West Berkshire District Council to further support the project and this has allowed the trustees to include further capital works in our 2016 budget.

The Trustees have now selected a contractor for the first phase of works, to include undergrowth clearance, removal or pruning of a number of trees, and erection of a new fence alongside Curridge Road. This work is expected to commence before Easter, and will result in areas of the playground being closed at certain times as well as traffic management in place on Curridge Road whilst roadside clearance is undertaken.

Once the main open space has been cleared and extended, the ground will be cultivated and re‐seeded in the spring to provide a levelled grass surface suitable for multiple activities, including a marked 5 aside football pitch complete with new goalposts.

It is hoped that the new playing surface will be ready for use by the end of June, and it will be fenced off until the grass is established. Curridge School is fully supportive of the playground development works and has agreed to use alternative outside areas for sports activities during this period.

The trustees are now exploring external funding sources to support further phases of work such as seating, nature and wildlife projects.

Local resident James Pryor was recently co‐opted as a trustee, and the trustees are looking to fill one remaining co‐opted trustee position in the near future.

The Trustees would like to thank all those who have provided their support and assistance to reach this important milestone in the regeneration of the Curridge Playground, and request residents’ patience whilst there is some local disruption during the imminent works.

As the project progresses, further updates will be provided through www.curridgevillage.co.uk and www.mychieveley.co.uk .

Curridge Playground Trustees Update

16/11/2015

Trustees Update, 16th November 2015

Curridge Playground was established as far back as 1954. Since its inception, the Curridge Playground charity has had a clearly defined objective, which is “in the interests of social welfare, to improve the conditions of life for the inhabitants of the area of benefit without distinction of political, religious or other opinions by the provision and maintenance of a recreation ground”.

During the last year, the Trustees of Curridge Playground have been developing a plan to bring the Playground into more regular use and, thereby, for the community to see it as somewhere for them and their families to visit and enjoy. The plan has a number of phases, the first of which is a proposed extension and enhancement of the central grassed area to encourage a wider range of the community, including children from Curridge School, to use and enjoy it for recreational purposes.

This will necessitate the removal of a number of trees and the thinning out and clearance of the wider woodland areas. Subsequent phases will aim to encourage a broader diversity of wildlife, through, for example, the installation of nesting boxes and butterfly and bee friendly planting, as well as putting in place a suitable low fence along the Playground boundary with Curridge Road for safety purposes.

The Trustees have sought professional advice and guidance from West Berkshire District Council, who have undertaken an initial review of the Playground and are providing ongoing assistance and practical help.

In order to achieve all this, a significant capital funding investment in the Playground is required and the Trustees have been pursuing options. Hilary Cole, District Councilor for Chieveley, is supporting these plans and has submitted a funding request to West Berkshire District Council. A recent request by Trustees to Chieveley Parish Council to earmark and ring-fence funds towards the capital cost of this extension and enhancement has also been approved. Separately, a grant request has been submitted to Chieveley Parish Council for ongoing maintenance support in 2016-17.

The Trustees would like to thank all those who have provided their support and assistance towards bringing the Playground into more regular use.

As the project progresses, further updates will be provided through www.curridgevillage.co.uk and www.mychieveley.co.uk .

curridge Playground Trustees

Updated March 2019:
Mr Ray ffrench
(Chairman)
Mr Neil Wood
(Clerk & Treasurer)
Mr Rob Crispin
Mr Chris Cholmeley
Mr James Pryor
Maj Christie Broadbent

To contact any of the the trustees, please use the contact form below.

Curridge playground can be found off the Curridge Road on the south side of the village, adjacent to both the WI hall and the school.

Curridge Playground
Curridge Rd
Curridge
Thatcham
RG18 9DZ

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