Baslow Sports Field - Update August 2020
It’s a couple of months since I sent out the last update on what’s going on at Baslow Sports Field, specifically with respect to COVID-19 status, so here’s an update for August.
The good news is that tennis is in full swing, the Bowls club have started some limited weekly sessions and the cricket season has finally started and clubs are playing a limited number of matches at both junior and senior level, albeit using the artificial wicket.
TrYumph are running the annual summer camps for the kids and the MUGA is in use for tennis, Zumba classes and the return of five a side football/walking football is imminent following recent FA guidelines permitting the restart of football at grass roots level.
All of the individual activities mentioned above have been authorised to start subject to the relevant COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions issued by the relevant sporting or local authorities. It is critical that all of us ensure these guidelines are followed and that BSF Trustees and users of the facilities involved in these activities understand their individual responsibilities in enforcing. Please do all you can to support this effort.
The Pavilion ( downstairs lounge, upstairs room and changing rooms/showers) remains in lock-down for the foreseeable future, with the exception of Neil Angus, who is operating his outdoor cafe and take-away service from the downstairs lounge, Becky who is using upstairs as an interim office and David Robins who requires access to undertake maintenance work. No one else is authorised to enter these areas of the Pavilion.
We have been able to open up the toilet facilities with the entrance being through the external ‘Away’ changing room door and corridor. Hand dispensers, appropriate signage and cleaning materials have all been put in place in to mitigate COVID risks. Please encourage your friends, fellow members and visitors to help keep the facilities as clean as possible.
As the new football season approaches we are looking to host a number of football teams of all ages at the field. Currently, in addition to Baslow FC and Chesterfield Community Trust, we have committed to host Sheffield Hallam FC over 45s and are aiming to extend junior football from the existing Baslow Juniors and Saturday am club to other junior groups. It’s going to be a very busy season...we just have to hope the pandemic settles down and football can commence on time!
The financial position of the Sports Field remains stable, although we do need to see income coming in during the autumn months to keep things on a sustainable level. We have been successful in securing grants from the FA Football Foundation to help us prepare the field for the next season and provide support for making improvements for using the Pavilion(toilet block and cafe).
We are also hopeful that we will secure a grant to help us install a children’s security gate on the path between the back of the Pavilion and the tennis courts. A grant to lay an all-weather path down the side of the MUGA into the Woodland Park was also secured and this work has been successfully completed by David and his team. It is also great to see the Woodland Park open again for the children.
Finally, Chris Lyne, Neil Mantell and David Neath have done some brilliant work in automating the process for booking, and paying for, use of the MUGA on-line through our website.....a great step forward!
There’s quite a few other initiatives we are working on, but we will update on these when we meet at our AGM and quarterly meeting next month.
We have scheduled our next BSF Committee Meeting and AGM in September, please keep Wednesday 16th September 2020 in your diaries. If we still cannot meet in person we will use Zoom VC to convene the meeting.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact me directly if you have any queries, observations or concerns.
And....stay safe!
Tony