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Rishton United Primetime Community Playing Fields, Lancashire

Rishton United Primetime Community Playing Fields, Lancashire

24.11.2020

A gorgeous morning planting the pathways and forested area alongside the pitch area in Rishton. Thanks to everyone who gave us their support today, and a big thank you to Tesco #BagsofHelp who funded this part of the project. We hope that the players and visitors enjoy their time at the site and we look forward to seeing you again in Spring 2021 when the bulbs bloom.

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09.08.2019

This project is now complete! In this financial climate it took us a very long time to get to this stage but with a mix of perseverance and determination from Rishton United and partners such as Hyndburn Borough Council and with thanks of course to the funders Sport England, Lancashire Football Association, Lancashire Environment Fund and Newground Together which enabled it all to take place. The grass is growing now and the aim is to be able to start using it this season… and please remind all those mums, dads, carers, grandmas and grandads that there will soon be a place to sit and let the younger ones play whilst the match is being played – watch out for it during the season.

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24.04.2019

Hi everyone, just a quick update for you – the team from Danvic Turfcare have been working hard over the past few weeks to install drains and are now preparing the ground ready for seeding. If the weather holds; they are expecting to finish before the end of April and give the seed chance to germinate and establish before the next football season.

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18.02.2019

Media release from Hyndburn Borough Council below:

RISHTON UNITED’S NEW GROUND NEARS COMPLETION

With support from Proffitts – Investing in Communities, work to create Rishton United Football Club’s new £306K home ground at Norden Recreation Ground is nearing completion. The work will help to improve and protect Norden Valley Playing Fields in Rishton for future generations of football players.

The move comes after Hyndburn Council granted the club a 25 year lease for the site which enabled the club to establish this land as their home ground and apply for funding from Sport England and the Lancashire Football Association, who require a twenty-five year lease as an essential part of any funding application. Funding for the £306,000 refurbishment scheme has also come from Lancashire Environmental Fund, Newground Together and Tesco’s ‘Bags of Help’ fund with a contribution being made by Hyndburn Council.

Drainage and levelling works to the grass areas has allowed more pitches to be created and therefore more game time. A new fence installed around the pitches will prevent horses and motorbikes damaging the playing surface. The work has also included a seating area for visitors and spectators and improved access paths.

Cllr Miles Parkinson, Leader of the Council, said; “We are committed to helping local communities access quality sporting facilities and so it’s great to see to see this project for Rishton nearing completion. It will not only provide the town’s football club with a home ground, but it will also help develop and inspire the next generation of footballers in the area.”

Chic Kelly, Rishton Utd FC Chairman, said; “We are really excited to see the project progressing and finally bringing local grass roots football back to Rishton.  Our teams have had to travel across the Borough to play matches and attend training so this will be welcomed by everyone to have our own home ground.  Whilst we’ve spent 7 years on this project there’s still some fund raising to organise to ensure we complete phase 2 and provide changing facilities and a club house.”

Martin Proffit of Proffitts, Investing in Communities, said; “We’ve been working with the club on this idea since 2012. Together we have overcome many hurdles to get to the stage we are at today. With thanks to the funders involved Rishton United can now provide a great place to train and play for the benefit of many teams throughout Hyndburn for many years to come”.

John Townend, Trustee of Newground Together, said: “By reinvigorating the site, we hope to boost membership to attract more people, in particular young people and women back to the club.”

Fellow Trustee of Newground Together, Laurence Loft, added: “This is a great example of what can be achieved when partners work together. In addition to improving security and maintenance, we expect the landscaping to promote biodiversity on the site.”

Rishton Utd new fencing

15.02.2019

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One of the better selfies…honest! This was a quick photo shoot today for the local papers, with representatives from Rishton United, Newground Together and Leader of Hyndburn Council – Miles Parkinson. The boundary protection is up but we are still waiting for better weather (if thats possible) before the drainage can be laid.

04.02.2019

We are pleased to announce that the natural area has now been improved and completed. The space is an additional feature to that of the football pitch drainage project and will allow children / families to sit and play whilst a football game or training is going on. The improvements consisted of improving access, giving smaller children things to do such as climbing, balancing and jumping, improving the environment through tree planting and wildflower planting and creating some seating areas so there is somewhere to sit and maybe have a sandwich or two…hope you like it! Huge thanks to our funders Lancashire Environmental Fund and Newground Together!

Rishton 4 Feb Rishton 3 Feb Rishton 2 Feb Rishton 1 Feb e1549287519746

06.11.18

This project has been slowed down a little by extremes in weather. Firstly, due to the very dry summer, the start date on site was delayed as the ground was too dry. However, once the ground became wet enough the contractor started and has made the progress in the following areas:

  • Sprayed and rotavated. Rotavation was extremely difficult apparently as the sod was hard to break up using the usual machinery. Had to use a potato harvester in the end!
  • Stone picked
  • Started to level
  • Installed main inspection chamber
  • Installed a good solid spectator boundary / playing field protection

And now, we’re at the stage where the site is too wet!  We’ll need to wait for a decent frost / dry weather (hopefully Jan / Feb) to continue the work. We are aiming to fully complete the drainage and seeding work for April / May 2019, and the area will be ready to play on for start of the season August / Sept 2019.

We’ll keep you updated!

11.09.18

There’s progress at Rishton! The fencing contractor is well on with installing the pedestrian boundary. The posts are huge, massive! Works on the drainage have been delayed slightly due to the wet weather, but we hope to start soon and we’ll keep you updated as things move forward.

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18.06.18

Hi everyone – it’s been a while since we’ve shared an update about the Rishton Utd project – but we’re delighted to announce that things are now moving forward and it’s ‘kick-off time’ for work on the new football ground! You can read all the details in the Lancashire Telegraph article here:

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/16292539.Kick-off_time_for_work_on_town_club__39_s_new_football_ground/

05.12.17

Just a quick update as we know so many of you are keen to see works start on the ground. We have nearly finished the detailed specifications and tender documents. Once we gain approval from the funders and stakeholders the work will be advertised and sent out to interested contractors very shortly….we hope in Dec 2017 – fingers crossed. As a reminder please see the basic plans for the intended works below:

Rishton plan Phase 1 April 2015

13.10.17

We are so pleased to announce that we managed (after all these years!) to pull together the funding package required to improve the drainage of the pitches at Prime Time Playing Fields, Rishton. The funding has been secured with thanks from the following funders:

Sport England / Hyndburn Borough Council / Lancashire Environmental Fund / Tesco Carrier Bag Fund / Rishton United / Newground Together / Lancashire Football Association & Football Foundation

Thank you! Thank you for all your patience and support in helping us and Rishton United get to this stage of making the improvements.

24.8.2017

Just a little reminder that this is the last week to vote for this fantastic project – the more activities that take place here the better – it has the capacity to service the WHOLE community! Please cast your vote the next time you’re doing your shop at Tesco! Thank you 🙂

10.7.2017

We’ve voted – have you? #Tesco #BagsofHelp #Dontforgetyourtoken!

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3.7.2017

This is why we are asking you to vote for this project via the Tesco Bags of Help scheme. We’re sure you’ve heard of this before, and voted many times, so just to recap, the next time you’re doing your shop, make sure you get a plastic token from the cashier and cast your vote:

Organisation Name – Rishton United FC; Project Title – Play Facilities at Primetime Playing Fields

Below is a list of stores taking part – voting has only just begun and you can vote as many times as you like by the end of August. Remember, there is NO minimum spend and you don’t have to buy a bag! Thank you so much!

BANK TOP BLACKBRN EXP   BB2 1TN
Blackburn  (D)  BB1 3HF
LIVESEY BLACKBURN EXP   BB2 5AY
ROE LEE BLACKBURN EXP   BB1 9AX

Here’s a little recap for you….as you may know, the Primetime fields site is underused by the public – the more activities that could be carried out on site, the better –  it has the capacity to cater for the WHOLE community (not just dog walkers and football players) making it a real community asset. It will become a focus for families and children to come and play after school and at weekends whilst their friends and family engage in football.

This particular part of the site is an underused and neglected area of mainly self-seeded woodland at the end of the pitches and as a result, it is not used very often despite being on the doorstep of a large community. Creating a natural play area here will be the first step for RUFC to encourage new users to the site and to inspire families to become more fit and active and to form new friendships.

Whilst there is a focus on younger residents and families, the overall aim is to create a space that will allow users of all generations and backgrounds to interact and spend time together. The site will provide opportunity for natural play (created using natural materials) allowing users to develop their social skills and build confidence in what they are doing and lead healthier lives through playing sports and natural play – allowing them to run, climb, swing, jump and initiate role play. As users play, parents and carers will have the opportunity to meet and form new relationships with each other with the help of the proposed seating.

 

 

24.3.2016

Some great news!!

Hyndburn’s Cabinet today approved the grant of a twenty-five year lease of part of Rishton Playing Fields to Rishton United Football Club.
Cllr Ken Moss, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said; “This is great news for the Club and the local sporting community. The lease will enable the Club to establish this land as their home ground and to apply for funding from Sport England and the Lancashire Football Association, who require a twenty-five year lease as an essential part of any funding application. If funding is approved this money will enable them to develop the sports ground and promote sport, and in particular football for the local community.”
Chic Kelly, Chair of Rishton United Football Club, said; “The club currently have 21 teams both young and old and have had to travel all over the borough to play their home games for far too long. The club is very excited at Hyndburn Borough Council leasing the land and the prospects of one day that football will be in Rishton once again. There is still a lot of work to be done before this can happen but the granting of the lease is a huge step towards it”.

 Rishton United

12.5.2015

Voting has begun to win a share of funding worth £25,000. The Aviva Community Fund offers the chance to secure funding for important causes in your community. As you know, the playing fields are currently underused as they are not fit for purpose – it will take just 5 minutes of your time to click here to cast your vote. It’s that easy, and the best thing is you can vote up to 10 times! So please make sure you make your votes count towards this worthy project. Thank you.

28.1.2015

Success! In addition to the intended and priority football pitch improvements we have managed to secure funds from Lancashire Environmental Fund which will allow the following work to take place – really adding value to the wider scheme.

We will develop a natural area for play for local children and young people. The facilities will be all be made using natural materials and will include stepping stones and log steps, boulders, carved log chairs / outdoor classroom seating, weaving poles, gravel river bed, performance space and log balance beams.

The project will also attract more wildlife to the site through selective tree felling and thinning as well as the planting of native trees along the canal side (NCN Route 6) which will help open up the site and encourage further / prolonged use – 20 tress in total will be planted. The majority of the existing grassed areas will be left long and planted with wildflower plugs and bulbs, only mown a few times a year to encourage insects and butterflies.

Thanks everyone for your input – couldn’t have done it without you –with work probably taking place 5 or 6 months from now. Will keep you up to date on the ongoing fund raising for the essential drainage and pitch improvements. Watch this space.

30.6.2014

As part of the wider intended improvements to improve the drainage (to allow increased frequency of playing football – we are still working in trying to source funds for this element), there are also other elements of the scheme which will help add value to the area. We have come across a funding opportunity which, if successful in securing, would deliver opening up the site from the canal side thus improving access and ‘the look’ of the area, putting in place some seating, and a small informal area where children and families can gather and play whilst matches take place.Please click on the link below to view the initial design that has been drawn up for the playing fields. We will use all feedback to change/adapt the plans to suit the general needs of the local community, and try to seek funding (although this isn’t guaranteed). Please feed back with what you like/dislike about the plans, what changes you would make and if you have any further suggestions. You can send your feedback to [email protected]. Thanks in advance 🙂

Rishton Natural Play Sketch Proposals

Alternatively, you can also click here to complete a very short survey – thanks again!

FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT LEAVE YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS, YOUR DETAILS WILL BE ENTERED INTO A PRIZE DRAW TO WIN £30 WORTH OF HIGH STREET VOUCHERS – JUST AS A WAY OF THANKING YOU FOR YOUR TIME

6.6.2014

Through further consultation and discussion with partners it’s been highlighted that there is a real need to protect any potential drainage works carried out as an investment through fencing. In light of this, we have assisted Rishton United and put in a bid to Inspired Facilities Sport England. It’s a long (but essential) shot – so here goes!

 06.03.14

We have been having regular meetings with various potential funders and stakeholders and all is fairly encouraging. We intend to apply from Lancashire Football Association with their support, Inspired Facilities (Sport England) and Hyndburn Borough Council over the next 4 or 5 months. We have been asked to focus on the drainage and the fencing for phase 1 – so this is what we will do. In doing this at least people will be able to play football on their local football pitch! The whole process could take 12 – 18 months from now, so please be patient!

10.11.13

Fantastic news. We have secured £50,000 from Sport England Protecting Playing Fields Fund – beyond delighted!

20.06.13

We approached Lancashire Football Association (LFA) at the beginning of the year. The advice from them was to carry out an agronomist report (I think thats spelt correctly), this has now been carried out and we have a good idea how much the drainage will cost. With this information we have now been able to send in an Expression of Interest to a landfill tax funder and work towards attracting funds from government orgs and the LFA. Keep interested and thanks for your patience so far.

 

21.09.12

Initial consultation is now complete with local residents, club memebers and main stakeholders such as landowners etc. We are now at a stage in attempting to source and secure the funding required to carry out the proposal as is (please see the design below). We will initially approach Sport EnglandFootball Foundation and Lancashire Football Association for support and advice.

Download Rishton Plan

Download Rishton questionnaire

Rishton United’s aim is to provide a community based facility which provides a safe environment for all in the local community. Rishton United want to ensure this project will involve local people and existing club users alike, make access to the outside pitches easier and provide a ‘club house’ which will help promote more and sustained use throughout the year. The purpose of the project is for the club to have its own building / ground and have a central location where all the children (boys and girls) could meet to play and train. The projects emphasis is to take children off the streets and provide a community based service for generations to come. The project aims to improve an area of land which is currently underused as it is not fit for purpose. Members and visitors are unable to train and hold formal matches due to the existing pitch state associated with drainage. Essential to this project is the full involvement of the existing Rishton United members and the local community in developing ideas and integrating them into the design, delivery and social aspects. As the project gathers momentum Rishton United will recruit more members to the club in order to sustain their achievements and deliver their aspirations to be awarded the highest standard of community club possible.

From an initial meeting with the clubs steering group the following ideas were discussed:

• · Grass Pitches – Existing pitches will be altered to accommodate 2 new pitches and surfaces upgraded through new drainage as sections of the pitch are prone to puddling. This will allow more matches to take place as well as some training to take place.

• · Club House – New Club House to be built between the existing all weather pitches and grass pitches to be used by all teams as well as rented out to all community based community groups. The club house will have a meeting room (available to hire), 4 changing rooms, storage facilities etc.

• · Existing Woodland and Grassland – Some tree felling and crown lifting will be undertaken around the site generally to accommodate the new club house and create views and paths through to the canal. Replacement tree planting to be carried out and native wildflower plugs to increase biodiversity in the area. Some areas will be protected.

• · New Paths – Created around the pitches giving access to all. The surface will be tar based fibre deck or something similar.

• · Picnic areas and seating – New Picnic areas to be created around pitches as well as seating around the paths to create resting points for spectators, visitors and walkers.

• · National Cycle Network – Route 6 of the NCN runs along the Leeds – Liverpool canal. Links to be opened up between pitches and the NCN route.

• · Car Par (East) – Existing Car Park to be extended and surfaced with tarmac and spaces formally marked out. Access road to car park over canal to be resurfaced and made good with new tarmac. • · Natural Play – Informal play area created within wooded area containing boulders, log steps, mounds, tunnels, balance beams and seats.

• · Fencing – Visual barrier around grass pitches to keep dogs, motorbikes and horses off the pitches and secure the area. The boundary will also act as a new spectator rail will be closed by a mesh front. All of the above ideas stem from current users and management committee. Through the continued involvement of users in the consultation phase combined with further consultation results stemming from local residents we feel the project description will shape into the needs of all interested parties. Click on the sketch design below to get a better idea of what is proposed and dont forget to leave a comment! It all helps shape the project into exactly what the local community want.