Document Date
11/03/2026
Created by
Parish Clerk
Category
Meetings
Wollaston Parish Council
Wollaston Parish Council
Document Date
11/03/2026
Created by
Parish Clerk
Category
Meetings
WOLLASTON PARISH COUNCIL
PLAYING FIELD & PARKS MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON
Wednesday 11th March 2026, 7.00pm
At The Village Hall, High Street, Wollaston
VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT
Atkinson, Green, Jones, Perry, Savage (Chair), Silsby and Mrs S. Grant (Clerk).
PUBLIC PRESENT
None.
APOLOGIES
Apologies received from Mr Cotter, Mr Hodson and Mr Mitchell.
MINUTES
The minutes of the last meeting from 11th February 2026 were agreed unanimously and signed as a correct record.
FINANCES
Finances to end of February had been circulated. No issues.
New play equipment at St Mary’s and the tree audit work has been the main cause of exceeding the budget.
PLAY EQUIPMENT AND ADULT GYM INSPECTION/MAINTENANCE
Mr Savage confirmed that he had inspected the equipment and submitted the inspection sheets to the Clerk. However, he was unable to inspect the Pyghtles play equipment due to the new flooring works currently being carried out this week.
Most urgent repairs identified at St Mary’s and London Road play parks during the annual audits conducted in June and August of last year have now been completed by the contractor. Some painting and sanding work remains outstanding, which has been delayed due to adverse weather conditions and illness.
The basket swing at St Mary’s failed after the bolt was tampered with. The contractor has since repaired the swing and fitted lock-tight bolts to prevent this from happening again.
MUGA UPDATE
The Floodlight fault has been resolved and the invoice for £332.08 is due to be received shortly. Mr Savage reported there are continued issues with the MUGA gate bolts working loose due to poor design, Mr Silsby to chase. The Playground Company have proposed the following date for the free of charge Acrylic Surface top up (w/c 20th April – day to be confirmed as weather dependant) and Wednesday 29th April for the annual Artificial Grass maintenance. Mr Perry agreed to be the main point of contact for access to toilets, water and electricity.
POCKET PARK
Mr Thompson continues to work hard keeping the garden tidy and the brown bin is being emptied fortnightly.
SPORTS ASSOCIATION REPORT
Football is going well, and although very few matches have been played on the home ground, the pitch is recovering well after a period of rest. Mr Perry confirmed that the annual primary school cricket festivals would be held on the field on April 30th and May 7th and he will coordinate these events. Due to the recent high electricity and Calor gas bills received, the Treasurers from both the Cricket Club and Football Club will be discussing additional monies to cover these costs. A new electricity tariff has been secured on a 2-year deal. Loft heaters will be turned off next winter due to the new heated cables.
The cricket ground has been cut and prepared for the start of the new season.
The Clerk confirmed that the S106 Business Case for the ground maintenance had been approved at the initial DCB meeting in February. The next stage is for this to go internally to SMT for sign off in March, then the Grant Funding Agreement process begins.
PURCHASES REQUIRED
None.
FIELD MAINTENANCE/MATTERS RELATING TO THE FIELD
Additional pallets are appearing by the football containers, Mr Silbsy to arrange collection.
Cllr Savage thanked the Cricket Club for the great work on the new fencing, due to the overgrown vegetation, the new fence has been brought forward and the bench now located behind the fence will be moved accordingly.
A memorial bench has been requested from the Cricket Club – Mr Savage advised that the bench would need to be recyclable, not wooden and to match the memorial bench outside the changing rooms as low maintenance.
The two wooden benches require re-furnishment and the legs are to be replaced.
Mr Savage reported that a bin lid is missing, a spare to be located if possible.
Clerk advised that a Bleed Kit is being fitted into the current de-fib unit located on the clubhouse at 6pm Thursday 12th March by “Off the Streets” – free training to follow. Mr Savage reported that the instructions for this de-fib are no longer there, Clerk to follow up.
A plan is required in the summer to remove, empty and advertise free of charge the large wooden shed located within the compound.
Dogs off lead in the playing field continues to be an issue.
Wood from the recent tree work has mostly been taken, although some remains.
Rabbits continue to be an issue, Mr Green to chase up.
Grass cutting – the grass cutting is now covered by Mr Jones and two representatives from the football club. It was unanimously agreed that the Parish Council £500 annual mowing grant is paid to the Sports Association going forward. Mr Silsby to source additional tractor keys.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Wednesday 8th April 2026 at 7.00pm at the Village Hall, High Street, Wollaston.
There being no further business the Chair thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting at 7.50pm.
Signed ……………………………………………………………..
Date ……………………………………………………………….