The Welney Website

Welney Playing Field and Pavilion

The following brief synopsis is based on information supplied by Tony Smart for the Welney Gala 2004 programme, with additional details from Roger Giles and the webmaster. Please note this page is still under construction.

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 registered with the Charities Commission as 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 the Pavilion on its present site on the southern edge of the Playing Field mainly by local volunteers. The Gala Committee having achieved its objective, was then disbanded.

Some thirty years later, on 13th April 2004 the Parish Hall Management Committee (whose responsibilities had nothing to do with the Playing Field and Pavilion) decided not to hold their annual Water Gala on the Old Bedford River alongside the Hall, but instead to try to re-unite the village after the bitterness of late 2002 and early 2003 by staging a Gala at the Playing Field with all parish organisations contributing. Subsequently, 18 parishioners met at the Pavilion on 28th April, and formed an organising group. Just four months afterwards, on bank-holiday Saturday, 28th August 2004, after weeks of heavy rain, the sun shone and Welney Gala 2004 took place with a dance and hog-roast supper in the evening. It was by far the most attractive and successful event in Welney for more than a quarter of a century. Together with donations from a number of commercial organisations and individuals, over £3,800 was raised to help provide replacement children's play equipment. That money was handed to the Parish Council in November 2004 and is held in a separate Play Equipment account pending further funding. Two years later, the Parish Council have made no attempt to use the money or even to look into further funding, and the equipment remains in a neglected condition.

The annual returns to the Charities Commission show that the annual income was over £1.900 in each of the years ending March 1998 and 1999 thanks to events staged by an enthusiastic committee, but by 2002 the committee had virtually disbanded and income had dropped to a mere £70. The Council took control and decided that a new roof was necessary, and grants were obtained from the Borough Council and Marshall's Charity. 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, which caused the Gala 2004 organisers some difficulty....