FIELD NEWS. Netball flourishes over winter Going into bat for the coming cricket season Save the Date for our annual Summer Classical Concert

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1 KING GEORGE S FIELD NEWS ISSUE 5 MARCH 2018 Springing into action Welcome to the first newsletter of the year. In this edition: Festive Walk at the Field Barford United Football Club continues to grow Netball flourishes over winter Going into bat for the coming cricket season Save the Date for our annual Summer Classical Concert Tescos Bags of Help News Get your clubs out for village golf society dates Spicy sponsorship deal announced Walk went ahead despite the snow A reasonable turnout considering the conditions saw David Winstone walk 27 laps from the overnight cold weather the crew from Barford Sports Club (BSC) were determined to try and help make the walk possible for those who emerged from shelter of their warmer surroundings at home. They were amazed that 1 anyone at all had set out to join in so with about 20 participants the walk went ahead. With snow shovels, plenty of hot drinks and plenty of warm clothing all to hand, the team managed to get set up so that the event could go ahead. t The snow fell in Barford and created a magical scene at King George s Field in freezing temperatures prior to the prearranged Festive Sponsored Walk at Christmas. With several inches of snow covering paths and public areas

2 Newsletter Issue Five Walk went ahead despite the snow continued It was heartening that a few brave souls turned out to enjoy their walk (and in some cases their run!) doing laps of the Field. Not to be deterred village veteran David Winstone walked virtually nonstop for the two hours completing 27 laps (nearly 7 miles) and walked away wearing his medal with pride. Finishing just behind were two visitors from Australia who completed most of their 24 laps by running most of the way through the snow. It was the first time the children had ever experienced the white stuff and they celebrated by spending most of the day playing in snow. There were medals awarded for the dog completing the most laps and the youngest person completing a lap in the snow was just 16 months old..well done Clara Cox! Despite the fewer numbers a total of 155 was raised on the day which is fantastic and hugely appreciated to help with costs of upkeep. Plenty of hot chocolate was consumed in the hut s kitchen as t villagers gathered to natter and talk about their Christmas experiences. Thanks to Hilary Rhead and Ellie Lees for making extra special efforts on the catering and planning front to make everyone who turned out very welcome. A family from Moreton Morrell even made the trip deliberately to enjoy the Field in the snow so well done to them for the team effort. A medal could probably go to BSC Secretary Simon Morgan for shovelling the most snow! His valiant efforts ensured that the paths were relatively snow free and the walk was able to go ahead and everyone could have fun and get some exercise well done Simon. Thanks to everyone who turned Family medal winners up to join in on what was a pretty cold day. Your support was fantastic and much appreciated. xx Clara Cox completes 1 lap at 16 months old Refreshment sales went well 2

3 The snowy scene for a lovely walk at the Field 3

4 Newsletter Issue Five Junior football growing in village 18 months since its inception, The growth of junior football to exceed all expectations and Barford United goes from in Barford has also provided the meet every challenge put in front strength to strength. The football club has been opportunity for parents and families to come along, support and make of them. After winning the Cup in their first season, the team hold holding Saturday morning new friends. Many are new to the a very slender 1 point lead at training session, led by a team of 4 coaches, for Year 2, 3 and 4 children since the start of the village so the social benefits are proving to be another positive aspect to the club s development. the top of Division 2. The league has been a tightly fought affair between BUFC, Warwick Juniors season. The sessions run between With refreshments provided and Racing Club but victory and every Saturday at King George s Field with more than 25 children, from Barford and the surrounding villages, regularly attending. Chris Lee, BUFC Vice Chairman and FA Level 2 qualified coach said, We are delighted that our sessions have proved so popular with the children and their parents. The attitude of the children and the progress they have made has been fantastic, so much so that we intend to enter 2 new teams into during training and matches the support from parents is essential for the future sustainability of the club where the emphasis is on fun and getting involved. BUFC s U12 team continue in each of their last 2 league games will see BUFC crowned Champions and secure promotion to Division 1 for next season. In March the team starts this year s cup campaign with hopes of yet the Mid-Warwickshire League next season for the current Year 2 and 3 kids. Saturday morning sessions for juniors 4 more success. The U12 team stats this season, so far are: Played 14, Won 10, Drawn 3, Lost 1, Goals Scored 60, Goals Conceded 25. Off the pitch, the football club together with the sports club is delighted to be receiving the support of local commercial and residential property developer, AC Lloyd and the village s new Indian restaurant, Cinnamon Arch. Their combined support will ensure that

5 next seasons new teams will have the necessary kit and equipment for them to play competitive football. Mark Edwards, BUFC Chairman, said, The development and progress of the club in such a More qualified coaches needed to run sessions short period of time is testament to the fantastic work of all of our committee and coaches. We are delighted to be able to offer more and more children the opportunity to play football in a fun, safe and positive environment. There are now over 40 children registered, which is brilliant and way beyond our initial expectations. The support of our new sponsors is fantastic however, we do need the support of more volunteers and we would be delighted to welcome more parents or residents onto our coaching staff to support the new teams for next season. The club are keen to attract any adults with an interest in coaching football to get involved. Are you new to the village? Do you fancy becoming a qualified coach? Anyone interested in bringing their children to BUFC, joining the coaching team or becoming a sponsor please contact us at barfordunitedfc@gmail.com or via our Facebook Congratulations to Barford United Under 12s on their successful first season From Team Sponsors 5

6 Newsletter Issue Five Spicy support for club teams develop, Cinnamon Arch will also Manager Kodi happy with feature as team sponsor and the sponsoring local sport presentation of new sponsored kit for next season will take place in the coming months. The popular curry house has been a regular place for players, parents, coaches and friends to visit and eat or grab a takeaway, often after training or matches. Cinnamon Manager Kodi was pleased to announce the agreement and said We have been really grateful for the village visiting our restaurant since we opened. We aim to serve great quality food with fantastic service and we are delighted with the restaurant becoming sponsor of feedback from customers so Barford United Football Club far. Sport is my passion and it s under 9s for a year where new fantastic to have netball and shirts will feature logos promoting junior football in the village. the popular curry house. The early success of the football The news is a fantastic vote of teams and netball is incredible confidence for Barford Netball and we want to be part of that too who are growing in numbers as a local business. We want the and were previously without a teams to continue to grow and be sponsor. As the group continues to successful and we are proud to be Barford Sports Club have been fired up with the latest news that they now have an additional sponsor for netball and junior football as Cinnamon Arch have confirmed their support for a twelve month period. The opening of Barford s first ever curry house late last year is proving to be a popular destination with both locals and visitors to the village. Located at The Joseph Arch pub, the Cinnamon team have been working hard to deliver quality food at reasonable prices and have quickly established a strong reputation for great food and fantastic friendly service. The commitment to get behind the sports club, by paying for shirt sponsorship and local marketing, is based on manager Kodi s passion for sport and enthusiasm to support local sport participation. The announcement sees the 6 Refurbished restaurant in Cinnamon Arch

7 Eat in or take away associated with these teams. Barford United Football Club Chairman Mark Edwards said, The cost of keeping three teams going is not cheap. Whilst we cover some costs with subs and fundraising, the investment in new kit and equipment is hard to fund. The guys at Cinnamon Arch are really great and this sponsorship will see new team kit being used for all home and away games. It s a great way of promoting our excellent new curry house as we travel to away games around the district and we ll be using it for take away fixtures too! Netball group leader Ellie Lees was also excited about the new link up saying, This is a real boost for our group to be sponsored, especially as we launched from scratch. A number of us have spent time eating our way through their menu and we did joke a while back about us sponsoring them! We had a meal there just after they opened for our Christmas Social and it was enjoyed by all. They always make us all very welcome so I m thrilled that they are going to support Barford Netball, and we will certainly keep supporting them. After opening in the newly refurbished lounge area, The Cinnamon Arch has found itself extremely busy and customers are strongly advised to book in advance. A take away service is also generating strong business as the reputation for Barford s new spicy destination hots up. Adult Six a Side Footy have fun The availability of training floodlights at the MUGA over the winter has been a great hit with regular adult football group in the village. There are now approximately 14 adults turning out most Monday nights from about 7pm to play six a side football and have a great workout on the all weather pitch. Organiser Steve Howes said It s been brilliant fun for us all being able to get out for some exercise and the lights have meant we ve been able to play most weeks since last summer. We ve had some new residents turn up too which is a great to meet new people. We are a social bunch and our message is if you fancy a game then just come along. We aim to charge a small weekly fee to help with equipment but the main aim is to get out, have a kick about and burn off some calories. We are all getting a bit older but it s still pretty competitive and great fun. Other regular users of the MUGA Training lights in use at the MUGA 7 include staff from VDL Steelweld based in Barford. Some of their staff turn out weekly after work for an in company work out playing six a side and enjoying the facilities by making a regular booking via the reservation system.

8 Newsletter Issue Five Preparing for cricket season According to the Midlands Cricket Club Conference handbook, Barford Cricket Club was originally founded before However, the present Club reformed in the late 1970s by laying an artificial wicket and erecting a portakabin for a pavilion at Hareway Lane. We are now hosted at Snitterfield (not too far away!) and only play friendlies on Sundays and midweek evenings, and our annual tour is always an adventure! We are always on the hunt for new players (preferably young and fit, but we re really not too fussy!) as our existing squad is getting older and more infirm with the passage of time. We are a very social bunch, in fact, cricket is really just an excuse to get together and have a drink sometimes 2017 Annual Dinner Report Joint winner most catches, Kevin Tobin selection of weird and wonderful prizes and competitions, and the Chairman s Speech in praise of the retiring Peter Fisher (from the telly). Congratulations to Liz Griffin who won the Irish Bingo and Vicki Henderson for correctly predicting Pete Fisher, Retiring the length of Sandy s tour-de-force. Many thanks to everyone involved in organising such a fantastic event, and especially to Simon International for his unique hosting. The prize-winners on the night were as follows: The annual extravaganza of the Annual Dinner saw a good range of old and new members in attendance once again at Merchants in Warwick. It was particularly good to see the fruit of the club s youth policy enjoying themselves, and this year we also welcomed Nick Lamb, Snitterfield ground supremo to the party. As the venue was fully packed this year, there was sadly no opportunity to repeat last year s multimedia extravaganza. Nevertheless, the delicious meal was interspersed with the usual Award Clubman of the Year Batsman of the Year Bowler of the Year Fielder of the Year Most Improved Player Champagne Moment Winner Champagne Moment R/up Midweek MOM Midweek TFC Best Catch Most Catches Most Ducks Best Tea Best Scorer Best Chauffeur Best Retirement 8 Recipient Paul Johnstone Ben Linfield Simon Hawkins Ken Gill Will Morgan Ben Linfield Simon Hawkins (an absolute travesty) Ben Griffin & Simon Drage Simon Morgan Paul Robbins Kevin Tobin & Chris O Reilly Ken Gill Akwinder Gill Layla Staveley Pete Drage Peter Fisher

9 Winter Nets Our 2018 winter practice sessions began on Sunday 21st January at Warwick School. We now switch to Monday evenings (8:00pm to 9:30pm) at Kenilworth Wardens Club: Monday 12th March Monday 19th March Monday 26th March Monday 2nd April Monday 9th April Monday 16th April We particularly welcome new members to nets, so why not come along and give it a go? All equipment is provided and the sessions at Warwick School will include use of our bowling machine (aka Doris). Each session costs 3 and usually ends in a debriefing session at a local pub. New players always welcome Ben Linfield won two awards Well done Will Morgan Dates for your diary The annual quiz will take place on Saturday 17th March in the Barford Village Hall Teams of 4, food, bar and fun. Contact us and book a table today. All villagers welcome! The preseason party will be held on Sunday 15th April in Barford (venue tbc!), and is a final chance to get together for a drink (or two) and a bite to eat before the season starts in earnest. The six-a-side cricket festival will also be returning this year, and is currently pencilled in for Saturday 14th July on King George s Field. Get a team together to challenge the mighty Barford or just come down for an afternoon of family fun whilst enjoying the bar and bbq. Further details on all these events will be available on our website ( in due course. Doris the bowling machine 9

10 Newsletter Issue Five Save the date for Summer Classical Concert Cheese, wine and summer classics at the Field. Following the success of last year s event the Barford Sports Club Team are holding another evening of entertainment with a cheese and wine event on FRIDAY 22nd June at the Field all thanks to the Big Lottery Fund. Last year s event was a sell out with over 120 people attending a fantastic evening in our marquee under the stars. Last week the team were awarded a grant of 1850 to cover the cost of hiring the marquee and equipment which is fantastic news. It is thanks to the Big Lottery Fund that they are able to support our bid which helps activities at King George s Field all year round. Plans will be finalised and tickets details will be announced in coming months. We aim to keep tickets priced which are affordable and allow us to provide quality local Classical concert returns this June thanks to Big Lottery cheeses, wine and of course local talented entertainment for a night to remember. Please keep this date free and if you have a spare marquee and want to lend it to us then we d be delighted to hear from you. Last year s event was enjoyed by all ages and helped raise funds to keep our facilities and equipment replaced throughout the year. If you would like to get involved then please contact us on info@ barfordplayingfields.org Save the Date: Friday 22nd June 10

11 Time to get Bowling again A reminder for those who have enjoyed playing social bowls during the summer that you can still enjoy doing that this year. Barford Sports Club have a selection of bowls for men and ladies to use. The sessions will start again from May on Friday afternoons and early evenings. The use of the bowls is free and two years ago there was a good size group playing socially. If you would like to join in this activity again this year please contact us on info@ barfordplayingfields.org and we will pass your name onto co-ordinator Bill Worrall and his colleagues. If you have not played before, then simply turn up as you will be most welcome. First group session will be Friday 4th May during the afternoon. Social bowls available for all ages Booking facilities down at the Field With Easter and warmer weather approaching the number of people using the facilities is getting busier with more bookings being made by more people. In order to avoid confusion and disappointment here is a reminder of how you can pre book the facilities. The courts are often pre booked out by clubs and school groups so please take a few minutes to go online and pre book. Here s a reminder of how it works via the booking page on www. barfordplayingfields.org: King George s Field uses an online booking system, Booking bug, to book the FREE facilities MUGA and tennis courts which are available. Membership is FREE for Barford, Sherbourne and Wasperton villagers and prebookings will be given priority when using the courts. Villagers can use the system by making court/pitch reservations. The system will allow bookings to be made up to a maximum of 21 days in advance, and users will automatically receive confirmation of bookings and updates on news regarding the Field. Click on the BOOK button and choose the day and time you wish to book for. Time slots are limited in to avoid block booking. New users will be prompted to create an account, while existing users can enter their username and password to confirm their booking. A hire charge will be applied for private bookings to coachers/ hirers (ie where coaching fees are applied by the coach/club) to assist with maintenance costs of the facility. Private Coaching will be encouraged and any Private Bookings must be made by contacting info@barfordplayingfields.org. As a guide the following charges will apply and will need to be paid by coaches by arrangement: Tennis Reservations 90 minutes Tennis Court x 1 5 per hour Netball Court 15 per hour MUGA (Multi-Sport) Reservations 60 minutes 15 per hour. Please leave the facilities as you find them and help us by reporting any damage or lost property which you may find. 11

12 Newsletter Issue Five Barford Netball goes from strength to strength The weekly netball sessions have looking forward continued every Thursday bar the to some friendly Netball firmly established on Thursdays Christmas holidays throughout the matches in the future winter; and the group continues with Wellesbourne to attract new players. The team when they re up remember this time last year and running. It d playing on the school playground surrounded by camping lights so are very grateful for the first winter on the court with the new temporary training lights. Netballers have been actively involved in raising funds to help with the replacement of equipment as it is needed. They are however keen for the lighter, warmer evenings to come back! Organiser, Ellie Lees, has recently been involved in the set up of a sister netball group in Wellesbourne in their new sports centre. She commented: Barford Netball are be great for them to come and use our facilities at King George s Field and for us to go to them. Although they ve got more players in their bigger village, we ll have been running 18 months longer than them so, who knows, it could get a bit competitive! Barford Netball Team has players or all ages and abilities and there s no commitment to make every session. The Netball sessions start at 6.30pm on Thursdays at 3 per person and new members are always welcome to join in. For further information contact Ellie Lees on Grant Win from Tescos scheme Last week we received the fantastic news that we have won a 1,000 grant under the latest Tescos Bags of Help scheme. This is an award voted by the public and this money is to help us fund towards this free copy of the quarterly newsletter for a further year for community information. It is the second time we have been successful and will help with making the facilities sustainable at King George s Field. The public liked the idea of our community newsletter to promote activities at King George s Field across all three villages. Thank you to everyone who 12 voted for us and thank you to Tescos for this generous support. If you have ideas, photographs or copy that you want to see in future newsletters then we do want to hear from you info@barfordplayingfield.org

13 The Wilson Bench story Visitors to the Field will have enjoyed relaxing on one of our many benches at various locations. These have been provided with the generous financial support of many local families. In the first of a regular series we give some background to the story behind each of the benches. Here local resident Peter Wilson, who also led on the bench sponsorship initiative, shares some history behind his family bench overlooking the children s play area. The Wilson family moved from Coventry to Avonside House Barford in October Twelve months previously my father William Wilson had been elected as a Member of Parliament for Coventry South and the parliamentary diarist from the Express newspaper, Crossbencher, was quick to point out that having been elected my father was leaving his constituency. In fact this was a classic case of never letting the facts get in the way of a good story as the family had been looking to move for at least two years before. Avonside was bought from Ben Kelsey of Thornley-Kelsey brewery fame then based in Radford Semele. Mr. Kelsey and his wife had owned the property for a short time having bought it from Len Gutteridge who was, coincidentally like my father, a Coventry solicitor. In the early part of the 19th century there was an area of land adjacent to the river and the mill where there were a number of small dwellings and this area was known as Avonside. One, now Avonside Cottage was extended in about 1840 to create what is now Avonside House. One of the occupants of the estate during this time was Edward Greaves, who had a family interest in Watchbury, a house in High Street and who had been, by coincidence, also a Member of Parliament. Later, around the turn of the century, the occupant was John Stratford Dugdale of the famous Warwickshire family and publishers of Dugdale s Antiquities of Warwickshire. In the early part of the nineteenth century the estate was acquired by the Smith-Ryland family and, like many large houses, was tenanted. Subsequently one of the tenants was the Pugh family who were the owners of Atco the lawn mower manufacturers based in Birmingham. The Avonside House gardens, during this time, stretched up stream to include the area we now know as Avon Close. The bulk of the gardens were sold in the early 1960 s for development of the houses in High Street and Avon Close. In its heyday apparently five gardeners were employed and 13 A little bit of bench history amongst the staff was one Joseph Arch who was later to become a Member of Parliament. Avonside House therefore has involvement with three people who were or were to become Members of Parliament. My wife Philippa and I moved into Avonside Cottage in 1980 and our residence brought as a visitor the return to Avonside of an old family friend of Philippa s family Mrs Geenes. Mrs Geenes by another coincidence, had in the 1920 s worked at Avonside House for Captain and Mrs Farley when her husband Mr Geenes was employed as the head gardener. By the late 2000 s the Wilson family at Avonside House had reduced to one, my father, and in 2008 he moved into a home. Avonside House was sold in 2010 but we remain in Avonside Cottage and hope to do so for more years yet. To date fifty-five years as residents of Barford.

14 Newsletter Issue Five A. C. Lloyd support for Barford The New Year began with the news that Barford Sports Club has been awarded a three-year sponsorship deal with homebuilder and commercial development company A.C. Lloyd Homes, which is based in Warwick. The company is supporting our community club with a sum of 1,800 over three years to assist with kit replacement and renewal of activities at King George s Field. The company is currently celebrating 70 years of creating high-quality homes and commercial properties throughout the Midlands and beyond. As part of this significant milestone they are giving financial support to selected local clubs and charities which enhance the community in which they serve. There will be a fund set aside to support local projects which the company will evaluate. 3 year community sponsorship boost from A.C.Lloyd Homes After visiting the facilities in Barford, Peter Beddoes, Chairman of A.C. Lloyd, said: The community facilities are really impressive. They provide an excellent opportunity for people to play sport, and engage in recreation and exercise without driving out of the village. The fact that netball and football clubs have become quickly established is to be congratulated. Our aim is to help encourage sport in local communities. We hope that these funds will help Barford Sports Club to continue to invest in replacing kit and improving their sports teams to help the club grow and remain sustainable for future generations. We look forward to our new partnerships and are pleased that Barford is one of the first clubs we have been able to work with under this scheme. Mark Griffin, Chair of Barford Sports Club, said: Getting sponsorship nowadays is very challenging and we are extremely grateful to A.C. Lloyd Homes for their generous support. This grant will make a huge difference to the club as we continue to provide free facilities for the public. We are seeing real tangible benefits in our community with people enjoying the exercise and social benefits of being active at the Field. This gives us a great platform to encourage more people to enjoy using the facilities all year round. Do you want to advertise here and reach 1,200 readers in households and businesses of Barford, Sherbourne and Wasperton? Our newsletter is distributed regularly, free of charge. Advertising from only 50 per half page. All proceeds to Barford Sports Club. Contact: info@barfordplayingfields.org 14

15 Creating Communities now and for generations to come We are proud to be celebrating 70 years of creating high-quality homes and commercial properties throughout the Midlands. We are delighted to be able to support local clubs and charities which enhance the community in which we serve. A.C. Lloyd Homes Ltd, Nicholls House, Homer Close, Tachbrook Park, Warwick CV34 6TT +44 (0) Celebrating 70 years Established Since 1948

16 Newsletter Issue Five Golf dates announced for 2018 The very positive start to Barford Golf Society has seen the election of a new committee with over 35 players becoming members for this year. Barford Golf Society is open to all, and currently has local members who enjoy friendly golf matches from April until October. All Golf days cost around 30 and if you are interested in joining us you can play as a guest or join up for very small fees. We are supported by the Granville where we meet up after matches for a drink in the 19th hole. We have organised dates starting monthly from 27th April at Stratford Manor Golf Club, which, will be just 30 per member and 35 for guests. Other dates for your diary are confirmed as 25th May at Stratford Oaks GC, 29th June at Kenilworth GC, Leamington & County GC 20th July & The Warwickshire GC on 31st August. Other events are planned for September and October but are not yet finalised in the season s calendar. We do hope you would like to join us, all welcome (over 16s) and you can get in touch with us through our alvinsmate@ gmail.com. As you can see we are not all ace golfers! Social golfers welcome to join in for more dates in 2018 Contact Information Barford Sports Club Committee Members Mark Griffin Chair John Murphy Treasurer Harry Gadsden Vice Chair Simon Morgan Secretary Mark Edwards Chair Barford United Football Club Hilary Rhead, Roger Clay, Tony Merrygold, Chris Lee, Ellie Lees, Tracey Moore, Tony Baker info@barfordplayingfields.org To receive regular news updates by , log on to our website and book a court or send us your details and we will add you to our database. This newsletter is a free circulation to ALL houses in Barford, Sherbourne & Wasperton and is funded through support of local fundraising by Barford Sports Club and a grant from Tescos Bags of Help Fund. 16