The Welney Website

During the immediate post war period the community spirit within Welney village was at a peak with many thriving sports and social organisations. It was during that time that Mr Tommy Watson presided over a meeting at the Parish Hall on 12th October 1961 with a view to forming Welney Playing Field Association. That was achieved, and set up as a Charity (charity number 1035795) administered by the Parish Council as Trustees with assistance from a committee, and governed by a constitution adopted on 31st December 1969.

For the next 10 years the whole village united to support fund raising ventures under the guidance and chairmanship of Mr Jack Griggs and later by Roger Giles, Roy Stubbs and Denis Booth. On 4th August 1962 the first Welney Gala was held at Grange Farm, in Main Street and Galas became became an annual event and highlight of the year. Villagers took much of the preceding week preparing the marquee, stalls, fruit and vegetable displays and sports. Celebrations started on Friday evening with tombola, with the whole of Saturday dedicated to fund raising stalls and entertainment followed by an evening dance and barbecue. Several well known 1960s groups such as The Marmalade, Pinkertons Assorted Colours and The Scaffold have appeared at former Gala Days. The Marmalade played at one Gala just a few weeks after their single Ob La Di Ob La Da topped the charts.

By 1971 sufficient money had been raised to buy the land which now forms Welney Playing Field. At the same time the village seized the opportunity to buy the old wooden Balding & Mansell Social Club building which was dismantled, transported (from Wisbech?) and re-erected as a Pavilion mainly by local volunteers at the north-west corner of the Playing Field. The Gala Committee having achieved its objective, was then disbanded.

During the ensuing years the Field was home to a variety of fairs and fetes and very popular and successful football and cricket teams. In 1998 the wiring in the Pavilion was declared unsafe and the Parish Council arranged (and paid) for a partial re-wiring including a new consumer unit in October 1998 (by PJ Brown & Son, at a cost of £985). The annual returns to the Charities Commission show that the annual income of the Playing Field and Pavilion was over £1,900 in each of the years ending March 1998 and 1999 thanks to events staged by an enthusiastic committee.  However, by 2002 the committee had virtually disbanded and income had dropped to a mere £70. The Council took control (again!) and decided that a new roof was necessary, and grants were obtained from the Borough Council (for the roof) and Marshall's Charity (for the guttering). The Pavilion now has a smart new roof of green plastic-covered metal profile sheeting which was fitted by Yarrowclad of Euximoor Drove at a cost of over £8,000.  Unfortunately, the outside lavatories were omitted from the works and that has caused difficulties to major event organisers ever since.