Replacement of community building/sports pavilion

Who are we?

In 1966, two fields at the bottom of Weir Lane came up for sale and some far sighted and generous villagers bought them 'for the sport, leisure and recreation for the people of Houghton on the Hill.' They set up a charitable trust to manage the field and facilities for the benefit of the community and Houghton Field Association (HFA) was born. The HFA committee/trustees are all volunteers from the community or representatives of the user groups of the field and pavilion. They give their time and effort to maintain the facilities. The maintenance and running costs are met from contributions from user groups, fundraising events and grant money. HFA receives very little public money. 

Further details can be found on our website - https://houghtonfieldassociation.chessck.co.uk/

What do we do?

56 years later the field is thriving! There is  a well used children's play park with swings, slides etc. The tennis club has 3 floodlit courts and there are 3 football pitches - the home of Houghton Rangers and Juniors Football Club. The field is used for leisure purposes and dog walking and overlooks the Sence Valley.

We have recently installed an outside gym and are planning other improvements including resurfacing of the car park and laying a walking track around the field perimeter.

What do we want to achieve?

Unfortunately, the pavilion is falling to pieces! The roof has frequent leaks, the plumbing and heating systems are in very poor condition, the changing facilities are not in line with modern safeguarding and disability access standards and the internal decor is poor.

A recent survey concluded that the fabric of the building and the layout meant it was beyond renovation and recommended replacement. Our ambition is to replace it with a multi purpose community building with a social area which will provide space for community users groups (e.g. exercise classes, pilates, yoga, bridge, table tennis, social and youth groups), private hires for birthday parties and other celebrations; a kitchen and servery; and changing facilities for team sports.

We have conducted surveys in the village, hosted a community engagement event and presented our plans at the Annual Parish meeting. This has demonstrated widespread support in the community for the project. We have been supported by A&G architects of Loughborough who have helped us to design the new pavilion and we have recently submitted our plans for full planning permission.

How will we use the funding?

Managing the field and beginning the pavilion replacement project has been very difficult during the Covid pandemic. Our income from football rent and pavilion bookings decreased but the use of the field for daily exercise has massively increased. Nevertheless, we have been successful in gaining a S106 grant from Harborough District Council of £348K and a pledge of £15K from the Garfield Weston Foundation. We are in discussion with the Football Foundation for a bid which will get us closer to the projected £535K budget total. The funding we have secured will only be released if we obtain all of the required additional funding so we are exploring every fundraising opportunity.

We are fundraising in the village and are targeting a further £10K from this Crowdfunding campaign which will demonstrate the commitment of the community to the project. We have applied for matched funding of a further £10K from Crowdfunding partners if we reach this target.

How our project will be United by Birmingham 2022?

This project is timely as it coincides with the Commonwealth Games coming to the Midlands region at Birmingham in July 2022. It fits well with one of the themes of the Commonwealth Games which is to improve health and wellbeing - see https://www.birmingham2022.com/united/

We want a new community pavilion and a modern changing facility  that will be used by all of the village including community groups, fitness classes, social events and the girls, boys and adults who play football with the teams in the village. We believe this will help to achieve one of the aims of Birmingham 2022 which is to 'inspire, engage and connect communities and athletes to realise their full potential and live happier, healthier lives'.

Thanks to our supporters

We are grateful to our supporters who have contributed rewards.

Stretton Racing Circuit, Stoughton www.strettoncircuit.co.uk

Old Black Horse Inn, Houghton https://www.facebook.com/oldblackhorseinn/

Football Evolution email: [email protected]

Leicester City FC https://www.lcfc.com/

Rose and Crown Public House, Houghton

Newcombe Business Services https://newcombebusinessservices.co.uk/

H&L Bakes https://www.facebook.com/groups/280487320289206

Uppingham Car Sales https://uppinghamcarsales.co.uk/