APPLETON-WITH-EATON SPORTSFIELD

CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REPORT

April 2010

Usage of Sportsfield & Pavilion The Appleton Cricket Club continues to use the Sportsfield in the summer months for matches and nets and has hired out the facilities to a number of local cricket clubs. The Appleton Football Clubs (the Appleton Stars and Junior Appleton Football Club) used the pitches and the floodlight practice area during the football season. For the first time we have also had a ladies football team training at the facility. We were also delighted with some Appleton School matches that were played at the Sportsfield. Various other organisations have used the Sportsfield and the Pavilion from time-to-time and we are grateful for the revenue these additional usages produce.

Equipment, Care and Maintenance The garage construction was completed thanks to a combination of the chairman, Brian Cade and Richard Prickett and good use has been made of it.

Financial The committee continues to run the Sportsfield on a tight financial rein with costs for running the facility and at the end of the calendar year 2009 – our financial year – we had £2,620.40 as a balance in the account. We are grateful to the Parish Council who funded the cutting of the outfield during the summer season and hope this funding will continue.

Parish Council The financial support of the Parish Council is much appreciated and we are grateful for their support in obtaining a grant for the new garage and their organisation of insurance cover for the property and machinery. We express our thanks to Ros Uren who served on the Sportsfield Management Committee as the representative of the Parish Council. The Appleton Playgroup has accepted there is no way the Vale of White Horse District Council will support any application for accommodation at the Sportsfield and so this proposal is at an end. We welcome Phil Neale as our Parish Council Representative.

General Comments

As always, I am grateful for the work of members of the committee and of particular note is the unstinting efficiency of the Treasurer, Richard Prickett who has been in post for so many years and has announced his resignation. Richard and Sanchia have been great supporters of the activities of the Sportsfield over several decades and the community should be truly grateful for all their hard work. We welcome as the new Treasurer, John Gaughan.

It is essential for new members that are users of the facility to come forward and join the committee to ensure future needs are considered and dealt with.

The Committee would like to extend its thanks to all users for the excellent repair job on the main football pitch, particularly to John Gaughan for arranging the roller.

Rob Ford continues to carry out the grass cutting via the Parish Council which seems to be working well.

Thanks also to the cricket club for organising the re-turfing of the lines on the mini soccer pitch at such a reasonable cost.

Paul Taylor

Chairman: Appleton-with-Eaton Sportsfield April 2010