(Public Park) Trust – Registered Charity No. 509842
The Haverfordwest Public Parks Trust AGM will be held on Tuesday 17th August 2021. It will be held at Haverfordwest Cricket Club, starting at 7pm. Any users of the Haverfordwest Upper Racecourse are welcome to attend.
Every effort will be made to ensure Covid safety by providing space for social distancing and good ventilation.
Will all attending please wear a face mask.
MEETINGS
It would seem reasonable to believe that ‘Freedom Day’ from the Covid Lockdown will be
Monday 19th July 2021. On this basis I will seek to call an Annual General Meeting and Committee Meeting within days of that date. When a suitable venue has been found, notice of these meetings will be posted on site and on social media in the coming days.
The pandemic has caused a delay in calling these meeting but, I am confident that you will agree that the delay has not had a detrimental effect on the Racecourse itself.
MAINTENANCE
Thanks to the efforts of our groundsman, Mr David James, the Racecourse is in superb condition. We remain indebted to Haverfordwest Town Council for the regular emptying of the waste bins and the grass cutting at the entrances to our facilities.
County Councillor Tim Evans deserves our gratitude for his assistance in getting much needed repairs to our car park and committee member Mike Wort has been instrumental in ensuring that dangerous trees have been safely removed from site.
Regular users of the Racecourse will have noticed that certain areas of grass have been left uncut. Money is expected from the 106 Agreement between Pembrokeshire County Council and Persimmons Homes. The careful development of meadow land areas is one of the allowed uses of this money and we have decided to leave these areas uncut for the time being so that the areas we wish to develop as meadow land are easily identified. It is thought that this extra contribution to biodiversity will be appreciated. Further such contributions may be considered in the near future as we are in the early stages of developing a request for a financial allocation from the Enhancing Pembrokeshire Fund.
FINANCES
Members will be pleased to know that we have sufficient funds to cover the expenses to be incurred this season. Full details of the present financial details and of the recent income and expenditure will be presented to the next AGM.
The Vice Chairman and I attended a meeting with Mr Paul Lucas of the Portfield Recreation Committee and Ms Sinead Henehan of Pembrokeshire County Council on 21st June at which we were informed that the sum of £53,000 would be allocated to our Trust from the 106 Agreement mentioned above. The use of this will exercise our minds for many months to come! None of this can be used for annual running cost so we eagerly await to hear from the Town Council about its possible policy changes that may allow us to have a similar financial allocation to that given to Pembrokeshire County Council for the Saturday afternoon support of the Library. Fingers crossed!!
The Friends of the Upper Racecourse Account (originally set up to offer support at times of great need such as machinery replacement) has now been brought under the Trust’s control. One of our late Chairman’s last actions was to write a cheque for £5,000 help meet our immediate financial transactions. The new account now stands at just over £5,000 and is earmarked for its original purpose.
In addition, our new fundraising platform, set up with ‘Peoples Fundraising’, has already realised £546.25.
I hope this information will prove useful to Committee members and supporters of the Trust. Should anyone wish to contact me please accept my apologies for not being on Facebook but please feel free to contact me on email thomaslewis123.667@icloud.com
I have been asked, in my position of Secretary to the Racecourse Public Parks Trust (HRPPT), to give an explanation of the present situation that exists between the Trust and Haverfordwest Town Council (HTC)
In the best interests of clarity and transparency I have chosen to submit the following under two separate headings.
FACTS:
1. HTC has given HRPPT an annual grant since 1981.
2. HTC has now decided to cease this support.
3. No reason has yet been given.
4. No explanation has yet been received from the three town councillors that also serve on the committee of the HRPPT.
5. Hopefully all will become clear when the minutes of the January 2021 Council meeting are published later this month.
6. HTC assisted greatly in the development of the all-weather surface paths.
7. The trust is presently 10 years into its second 40 years lease.
8. HTC is the Landlord and HRPPT is the tenant.
9. HRPPT has to pay its landlord an annual rent of £1,250.
10. The lease stipulates that it can only perform those duties imposed on HTC
by Statute Law (1838 Enclosure Act and subsequent legislation).
11. Our task therefore is to develop the land for ‘the recreation and exercise of the local population at their free will and pleasure’. (the same obligation placed on HTC).
12. The committee of the HRPPT feels that it has achieved a high standard in meeting its obligation to the people it serves. It remains eager to continue its efforts.
13. We feel that we are making a meaningful contribution towards the mental and physical well-being of our fellow townspeople, neighbours and many visitors.
OPINION:
I must stress that the following is my personal opinion.
1. The HRPPT should not have to go cap in hand to HTC for the financial assistance needed to carry out what are the Town Council’s obligations to the people of our town. We should be automatically granted, each year, at least £5,000 of the £312,000 Haverfordwest people give each year for such purposes.
2. If HTC can grant the County Council more that £60,000 over a five years period to keep its library open on Saturday afternoons, it can surely grant £25,000 over the same period to allow our people to enjoy the obvious advantages afforded by what many consider our town’s ‘Jewel in the Crown’.
Peter Lewis JP
Secretary/Treasurer
Haverfordwest Racecourse Public Parks Trust
This year the Haverfordwest Town Council has withdrawn its financial support for the Racecourse. We are not aware of any reason for this.
The following letter to the Town Clerk is to start exploring alternative funding sources,
Madam Town Clerk
I am in receipt of the email dated 27th January 2017 written in response to the application for financial support submitted on behalf of the Haverfordwest Racecourse Public Parks Trust.
You will almost certainly not be surprised to learn that we are very disappointed to know that Haverfordwest Town Council has withdrawn its long standing financial support of our work.
However, life goes on, and we must take comfort from the fact that so many of our townspeople express appreciation of our efforts, especially during these trying times when mental and physical health are under threat.
As Spring and Summer approach, we look forward to welcoming back our young cricketers and footballers, and participating in the weekly Park Run.
In her email, Ms Rees invited me to contact you for advice on possible alternative income streams. Such help would be greatly appreciated and I hope to hear from you in the very near future.
Yours sincerely
Peter Lewis
Secretary of the Haverfordwest racecourse Public Parks Trust
The generous donations to my Sponsored Walk, from almost all of the committee, and from so many members of the public, has meant a great deal to me and my fellow officers. The latest donation given by Merlins Bridge AFC has pushed the total raised to over £1,700.
Such generosity, along with the numerous letters of support, requires more than an expression of thanks. It deserves an explanation of how the money is spent. But before I present that explanation may I give you the assurance that every penny received goes towards the upkeep of our wonderful Park and not a penny goes towards administration.
Over the last few years we have lost the financial support of Pembrokeshire County Council and the Bridge Meadow Trust. This has left a £5,200 hole in our income stream, leaving us more and more reliant on the generosity of members of the public.
Last year was a particularly expensive one as we had to contend with deteriorating seats and the problems experienced with an ageing tractor. We have improved the seating on the Racecourse by repairing a certain number and purchasing others. This has brought appreciative comments from a large number of people, especially our elderly users.
The main thrust of our work is the sixteen cuts of over 60 acres of grass. This cannot be done without a tractor. The repairs and fuel cost nearly £3,500 so I hope for a trouble free season this year. With a certain amount of hedge trimming added, the grass maintenance cost £5,000. I think everyone would agree that Mr David James is doing a marvellous job and has helped enormously to deliver a park that contributes massively to the enjoyment and mental well-being of the very many users of our facilities. It is reckoned that use of the Racecourse has quadrupled since the onset of Covid 19.
It was time for the miles of hedges and ditches to be brought up to standard and this set us back nearly £2,500. Add to this such items as gate repairs and the cost of new waste bins and you will understand that we have had to eat into our very slender reserves.
The land was given to the Town Council in 1838 to ensure that it is used for the recreation and leisure of the neighbouring population at its free will and pleasure. I hope that you will all agree that we are truly helping the Town Council achieve its obligation.
As you know, the secretary of the Racecourse Public Parks Trust, Peter Lewis, chose to mark the occasion of his eightieth birthday by partaking in a 10,000 metre walk which stretched from the Racecourse to the St Brides Inn in Little Haven.
The aim was to raise much needed funds for the Upper Racecourse and as I am his wife I undertook the responsibility of seeking financial support from those of you who use our wonderful facilities.
Peter reminds me that all he did was walk the six miles, the success depended on the generosity of others.
We set ourselves a target of £500 and you can imagine our surprise and delight when we report that the final figure is £1,530.
This speaks volumes for the popularity of the Racecourse and even more so for the generosity of the people of our community.
Thank you all and please please continue to support and enjoy our wonderful Racecourse.
Patricia Lewis (Committee Member)
Making a donation to the Haverfordwest Racecourse (Public Parks Trust) is now even easier and completely painless.
If you use Amazon then please consider using the [Smile.amazon.co.uk] link instead.
Registering the Haverfordwest Racecourse PPT as your chosen charity means that every purchase you make will give us a small percentage of the total with absolutely no extra cost to you.
The Smile link works exactly like your normal Amazon link using your account and preferences as usual.
On Friday 6th March 2020 it was my privilege to organise, along with Bill Carne, a Fun Quiz Night designed to raise much needed funds for the Racecourse Public Parks Trust.
I am pleased to report that we raised the sum of £775.
Only too often we forget to say thank you to the people who help to make such an event successful. I would like to make sure that this is not the case on this occasion by listing those who made such important contributions. I run the risk of missing someone out and I hope they will forgive me if this proves to be the case. However, I feel it important to show appreciation to the many people who helped to raise such a fantastic sum of money.
Thank you to Haverfordwest Cricket Club for allowing us the use of its facilities and to Mark Coneybeare fo his assistance. Thanks to Bill Carne, our resident Question Master and his wife Marilyn, who together provided such enjoyable entertainment.
£235 raised by the raffle speaks volumes for the high regard that the Racecourse is held in by those present. Thanks must go to Councillor Roy Thomas and his wife Shirley for their wonderful sales technique.
It is a credit to the Committee of the Racecourse Public Parks Trust that so many members contributed to the success of the evening. All three officers gave a generous donation along with Mrs Maureen Pratt, Cllr Chris Thomas, David Loosmore, Mike and Rosalyn Wort,
Mike Codd and Roy Thomas. This example set had the effect of encouraging supporters such as Mrs Tina Jones, Chris Mckeen, Brian Griffiths, John and Susan Hayes, Mark Edwards and my son and daughter to give generously.
Jonathan Twigg, Barbara Morgan and Roy Whitfield all provided teams and this in turn, encouraged the Cricket Club, Soroptimists and the Haverfordwest Ladies Choir to join in the fun.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the generosity of the winning team led by Lynne Hart and the Runners Up led by Tricia Thomas for donating their prizes to our cause.
Once again, thanks to one and all.
Pat Lewis