A NEW HOME, A NEW BEGINNING
“It has been a long road, and an incredible amount of work, but the end is almost in sight. We look forward to opening the new Claygate Community Clubhouse soon.”
It’s been a long time coming and although the past year has been a difficult and challenging time for so many, the coming of spring and warmer weather heralds a new beginning. The CRGT is thrilled to announce that the Community Clubhouse is structurally complete and almost ready to open. The building has been finished to a very high standard, both inside and out, and is ready for the Community to enjoy. It’s taken over 4 years to rebuild the Clubhouse and an immense amount of time and energy by the Trustees and the CRGT project management team to get to this point. There have been many problems to overcome along the way, not least the interruptions and delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, but also, just recently, the appointment of Administrators for Armfield Construction Ltd, our main contractor, who have sadly been another casualty of the pandemic.
Fortunately for us, this happened after the building project was completed. However, there is still the huge task of attaining and completing all of the documentation required for completion prior to opening to the public and the community. Rest assured, CRGT Trustees are working extremely hard to ensure this happens.
LANDSCAPING AND FAMILY GARDEN PROJECT
If you have visited the recreation ground in the last few weeks, you will see how much progress has been made on Phase 1 of the landscaping project. Sam and Matt from Project Landscapes have been working hard in all weathers, to prepare the groundworks for the new paved areas. The solid non-slip blockwork that surrounds the Clubhouse has now been completed, and the pathways, including disabled access leading directly to the building are coming along nicely. This work will be finished prior to the Clubhouse opening and will ensure a mud free, non-slip, safe journey towards your refreshments!
Phase 2 of the project will commence towards the end of the summer with the planting of shrubs, trees and flowers in the specially designed family garden area on the left of the building and barbeque area on the right of the Clubhouse. Our resident horticultural specialist and Trustee in charge of the family garden operations is Rachel Jones, who many of you may know. Rachel has been keeping a watchful eye on landscaping progress and is currently planning for phase two planting:
“I have recently updated all the planting plans for the garden, and I’m really excited about this phase. It’s full of native shrubs and trees, with lots of grasses and flowers. Very wildlife friendly, and something to enjoy all year round”.
SPONSOR A BENCH 'IN MEMORY OF...'
Phase 1 of the landscaping project has been fully financed but we still require around £60,000 for Phase 2. If you or any local organisation would like to help with funding or perhaps would like to sponsor a bench for the garden area (costs range between £915- £2,685 dependent on the bench/seat) we would love to hear from you. To give you an idea of the solid hardwood benches and garden picnic furniture that we are considering, please follow the 3 links below:
https://woodscape.co.uk/street-furniture/seating/backless-benches/type-2-backless-bench/
https://woodscape.co.uk/street-furniture/seating/backless-benches/type-2-backless-bench-curved/
https://woodscape.co.uk/street-furniture/picnic-sets/standard-picnic-set/
These benches and picnic sets are solid, vandal proof and beautifully finished adding that special touch to the garden area – ideal for sitting with a quiet cup of coffee and a piece of cake.
PISTACHIOS IN THE PARK- IT'S NOT JUST NUTS!
Speaking of cake, the Trustees have been in regular contact with our new café operators, “Pistachios in the Park”. This community café concept, created by Aysin Djemil and Ender Turkyilmaz, has already enjoyed huge success with a number of other café operations in and around London. They were able to present the CRGT with exactly the type of café that we were looking for. When asked about the success of their previous park café operations Aysin commented:
'The Pistachios concept is very specific and it's all about the community, the whole thrust is to get more folk back into local parks to enjoy the ambiance and interact with each other. Our cafés are great places to meet family and friends. Most importantly our facilities and outdoor areas allow you to spend time with the kids or to relax and enjoy the green space, all within your local neighbourhood. Furthermore, step inside and you will find delicious home cooked food, and barista style beverages, together with excellent service and bags of community spirit.’
Helen Maguire (CRGT Chairman) also commented:
‘We think Claygate will love Pistachios in the Park. Not only will they provide our local community with quality food, coffee and beverages, but they will also run the new Clubhouse licensed bar and provide catering facilities for local organisations, parties, barbecues and events throughout the year’.
If you are already thinking ahead to the days when we can socialise again, and are interested in booking the 1st floor space for a meeting or an event, you can find out more by emailing: bookings@claygaterecreationgroundtrust.org.uk
So Claygate, get ready! Aysin, Ender and team are very excited about the forthcoming opening and the opportunity to meet us all. As with other café style operations, they will be able to serve hot drinks, refreshments and food to customers outside.
We are hoping that our prospective ‘soft’ opening will be 12th April or shortly thereafter. Covid-19 regulations will of course apply, but at that point in time it should mean that six people from six different households are allowed to meet outside, with the so-called ‘rule of six’ returning. Alternatively, two households can meet outside. This means two families, who may total more than six people, will be allowed to meet. Whatever the regulations are at the time, Pistachios will be waiting to serve you coffee, tea and delicious food.
As we will probably not be able to allow visitors into the Clubhouse, we are planning to have an official Grand Opening in September, as the cricket season comes to a close, and the recreation ground prepares for a new ‘Royals’ football season. Look out for more news in the future.
YOU NAME IT!
Pavilion, Hub, Hive, Clubhouse, Community Clubhouse, that New Place on the Rec? We really can’t decide, so we need your help. The name for the new Clubhouse should reflect the purpose for which it was built – a place that brings Claygate together. So, get your thinking caps on and let us have your ideas. The Clubhouse naming competition goes live on our FB page from Sunday 14th March. Trustees will narrow this list down to our top 3 and the community will then have the opportunity to vote on their favourite from 5th-12th April.
THE SPORTING LIFE
The Covid pandemic has hit sports very hard – even more for those who actively participate in sport. Claygate Royals Football Club have not played football for many months now, but are eagerly anticipating a return to play on the 11th April.
Claygate Cricket Club are also busy planning for the new season and hope to return to training and coaching for Juniors in mid-April, followed by nets for the Seniors when the weather and light permits towards the end of April and then both friendly and League matches commencing at the beginning of May.
The grounds contractors, Id Verde, have begun their pre-season maintenance work on the cricket square with scarification and a first cut, to be followed shortly by a programme of fertilisation, re-seeding, cutting and rolling to ensure a great season of cricket gets underway on time.
HEARTFELT THANKS
For those of you that have been past the Clubhouse recently, you may have noticed the addition of a brightly coloured lock-box which will hold the new defibrillator. This box located on the right side facing the Clubhouse, will keep the defibrillator at a constant temperature through the winter to ensure that it is ready for any emergencies. The box is locked but has a telephone number that takes the caller directly to the emergency services team who can then provide the code that unlocks the box. The defibrillator itself is currently being registered with the Regional Ambulance Service, after which it will be placed in the lock-box ready for use.
Our heartfelt thanks go to Claygate Cricket Club, Claygate Royals Football Club, Claygate Parish Council and CRGT for funding this important lifesaving equipment. The CRGT would also like to take this opportunity to thank Tim Barrett-Jolley who carried out the electrical connection work that was required, free of charge.
The CRGT would also like to thank The Jam Trust for their generous additional donation that has helped hugely in the purchase of an Endura II pedestal water fountain. It is ideal for external use and one that we feel meets all those important COVID-19 health and safety measures, as it enables people to fill their water bottles rather than access water via the mouth, and if speed is your thing the fountain will fill up a standard 500ml water bottle in less than seven seconds! Filling up a water bottle with fresh cool clean water has never been quicker or more convenient. The total cost for this thirst quencher was £2,545. Thank you very much Jam Trust.
Yet more thanks to all those who have helped ensure that the new Clubhouse is a success by giving their expertise for free in order to get the project over the line: James Bauer-Mein for his time and expertise on security, CCTV, door controls, and Wi-Fi. Stuart Brind who has helped with all manner of carpentry work. Roy Stansbury who has assisted with all things from shower rails to coat hooks.
Finally, a huge thank-you to The Rank Foundation who have recently made a generous donation to the Trust to assist our work and to the Edgar E Lawley Foundation and Cllr Mike Bennison who continue to support us.
WE'RE SORRY. WE'D LIKE TO SMOOTH THINGS OVER!
Apologies from the CRGT that the area around the Dalmore Road entrance and the Clubhouse area have been an absolute mud bath for some time now, especially since the heavy rains in the New Year. The Contractors have done their best to minimise disruption for visitors, but it has been a real challenge. Once the landscaping project is complete the area that has been so badly affected by construction work traffic and machinery will be levelled, repaired and re-seeded to restore it to its pre-build condition (or better!)
We thank all users and visitors for their patience and once again apologies for any inconvenience caused.
DON'T LEAVE IT TOO LATE!
The installation artwork ‘Claygate Community Oak Tree’ is now resplendent up in the Treetops (1st floor room) and some of the first tranche of community funded gold, silver and bronze leaves have been added. It really looks fantastic, but the tree would love a few more leaves to bring it up to its full verdant glory. If you would like a leaf with your very own inscription to celebrate the imminent opening of the Clubhouse please send your donation (Bronze Leaf £40, Silver Leaf £85, gold Leaf £140) here: https://www.givey.com/claygaterecreationgroundtrust and then email your wording to admin@crgt.co.uk with a copy of your donation receipt.
FOLLOW US:
Twitter- https://twitter.com/claygaterec and on FB- https://www.facebook.com/claygaterec Want to receive our regular newsletter? Email us at admin@crgt.co.uk or call us on 0845 2240025 Damian Ross: Rossdam1@aol.com-mbl:07908987119 CRGT Trustee