In accordance with Government advice the Children’s play area at the Playing Fields can re-open from the 4th of July. When using the play area it remains important to consider the principles of social distancing and infection control and we would ask all users to help control the spread of Covid 19 by using the facilities responsibly.

Hand sanitiser should be applied before and after using equipment and we would ask parents to manage the numbers of children on each item of equipment to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to. It’s appreciated that adhering to these requirements is difficult when children are at play but we would ask that you do all that you can to ensure the facilities remains as safe as possible for children to use.

Marden Recreation Ground Trust has recently been approached by Shared Access, the company that operates the mobile phone mast at the Playing Fields, to amend the structure to enable it to transmit 5g signals. The proposal will involve the fitting of a larger head frame capable of supporting more transmitters. The height of the mast will remain the same.

Trustees have carefully considered the proposal from Shared Access and have given their approval for them to progress the project, conditional upon Shared Access submitting the appropriate Planning application and the receipt of an appropriate level of remuneration to the Trust to help with the ongoing maintenance and improvement of the Playing Field facilities.

Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

The paper bank has been a fixture in the car park of the Playing Fields for a number of years and has been a much used facility providing useful income for the Trust. The advent of household recycling bins had an inevitable impact on its popularity and now we have been told by the operators that the haulage costs to remove the skip and replace it exceed the income that the Trust receives from the recycled paper placed within it. Rather than incur an ongoing financial loss, Trustees have agreed that the paper bank will be removed and not replaced. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and wish to thank all those who have supported the paper bank and the playing fields by recycling their paper in this way over the years.

Finally, it is great to see the Playing Fields being used by the community. It’s value to the village has been particularly evident as lockdown has eased and we’ve had the opportunity to meet outside again. Please help us to keep the area as welcoming as possible to all visitors by using the facilities provided safely, responsibly and keeping them litter free.

Many thanks,

Mike Williams

Trustee – Marden Recreation Ground Trust