LETTERS – Park is for the people

I read with interest A Tong’s letter of February 28 regarding Carter’s Park.

Maybe A Tong should put his access concerns directly to the parish council with regard to the dog walking area. They could also confirm that Carter’s Park was left in trust to the people of Holbeach for the provision of sport for the people of the town.

The football club has asked for an extension to its lease because if it is to be successful in its grant application to the football foundation it has to have sufficient tenure on that lease to ensure that ground improvements that are made can be justified.

We currently have until 2049 on the existing lease. Whilst writing I can also explain that when the park was left in 1929 for the benefit of the town, local football did not have the plethora of rules and regulations that it has today.

The Football Association is constantly bringing in new rules and directives designed to improve safety and services at every ground. These rules are meant to ensure safety at grounds with bigger crowds but they unfortunately capture clubs such as ours.

The grant application we refer to will be to improve the inside of the changing rooms and provide further club house facilities that will allow the generation of funds to keep running and improving the towns facility.

This facility is an essential part of the whole sporting set-up in the town that will allow youngsters who learn the game at the youth academy to play the adult game.

Holbeach United’s footballing set-up is the envy of the local area – it is entirely volunteer run with more than 40 local people regularly giving up their time for free to ensure that the children and adults of the area have the opportunity to play football.

Sitting behind that is a clubhouse and bar that is open to all and provides an income stream that covers the costs for enabling it to do that, providing a community function room for weddings, birthdays, wakes, etc. These volunteers allow up to 400 men women and children to play football with ages from five to 50 years old. I would be more than happy to meet up with A Tong to explain in further detail the cost of providing these facilities.

Des Ford
Chairman
Holbeach United Football Club