Deopham Village Playing Field Committee

Contents

Introduction

Following the end of the project to build a Village Hall for Deopham which was ratified at a Parish Meeting held on July 14^th 1960, a new committee was created which inherited the funds raised for a hall with the new objective of providing the village with a playing field.
It is significant however that the name of this new committee, although initially referred to in the minutes as the “Playing Field Committee” soon after started to call itself the “Deopham Village Hall & Playing Field Committee”. It was not until 1968 that the Village Hall part of the label was finally dropped.

July 22nd 1960 – First Meeting

Those present:

Mrs. Leverett	Mr. W. Phoenix
Mrs. Downes	Mr. Jones
Mrs. Barham	Mr. Hardy

The first meeting of the Village Playing Field Committee was held at The Paddocks, Deopham Green on July 22^nd 1960 with the objectives of electing officials and discussing the best location in the village for a playing field.
It was agreed that Mr. Hardy should become Chairman, and that Mr. T. Healey (who was not present at the meeting) should be asked to become secretary. Mrs Barham was asked to carry on as treasurer – a role that she previously filled on the Village Hall Committee.
Concerning locations, it was identified that the field would need “to be located as centrally as possible”. Mrs. Downes, seconded by Mrs. Leverett, proposed that Mr. Allen at Hall Farm should be approached with a view to purchasing one acre of a field opposite the Church Hall. Mr. W. Phoenix proposed, seconded by Mr. Jones, that Mr. Morton at Crown Farm should be approached to discuss the purchase of two acres of land adjoining the school playing field – conditional upon the school authorities agreeing to the use of their playing field as well.

October 25th 1960

This meeting was held at Mrs Leverett’s house in Deopham. Those present were

Mr. Hardy (Chairman)	Mrs. Downes
Mr W. Phoenix	Mrs. Leverett
Mrs. Barham	Mr Healey (Secretary)

Approaches to local landowners had been unsuccessful so it was agreed that the trustees of the Rix Charity field should be approached to obtain a 99 year lease.

April 12th 1961

This meeting was held at Mr Hardy’s house. Those present were the same as the last meeting.
The Committee was advised that it would be possible to obtain a 99 year lease on the charity field. However, since the last meeting, it had been announced that the school would be closing, thereby opening the possibility of purchasing the site for use as a Hall and playing field. (In fact, the school did not close until July 1980.) Nevertheless, it was considered expedient to continue with a tender for the charity field.
There were then discussions about the arrangements for a Motor Cycle Scramble to be held on May 25^th of that year. A further meeting concerning the Scramble arrangements took place on May 17^th. It is conspicuous that the minutes do not mention the location of this scramble which is understood to have taken place in Victoria Lane. A note in the minutes suggests seeking permission to have car parking on the Victoria Public House land. [This would have been in the field on the church side of the home now called Springfield in Church Road.]
Michael Allen has advised that the parking actually took place in the field opposite Hall Farm courtesy of Archie Allen who agreed that the proceeds to which he was entitled from the parking charges could be retained by the Playing Field Committee.

June 7th 1961

This meeting took place at the house of Mr. & Mrs. Downes of Deopham. The committee members present were:

Mr. Hardy (Chairman)	Mr. W. Phoenix	Scramble Organizers:
Mrs. Barham	Mrs. Downes	Mr. & Mrs. Stone
Mrs. Leverett	Mr. Healey (Secretary)	Mr. Jones

It was recorded that the profit on the Motorcycle Scramble had been £64 9s 9d meaning that the balance of funds was then £551 4s 7d. The Committee agreed to move £500 into Premium Bonds, and to rename the bank account from “Deopham Village Hall Committee” to “Deopham Village Hall and Playing Fields Committee”.
Mr. & Mrs. Stone were asked to join the Committee, to which they agreed. Mr. Roger Woods would be invited to join.

February 22nd 1962

This meeting was held at the house of Mr. & Mrs. Downes; those present were:

Mr. Hardy (Chairman)	Mrs. Stone
Mrs. Barham	Mrs. Downes
Mrs. Leverett	Mr. R. Woods

The secretary, Mr. Healey, had resigned upon leaving the area.
Mrs. Stone proposed that the Secretary should write to the Charity Trustees “as to whether they are prepared to lease or sell a portion of the land on Vicarage Road (approx. ¼ acre) to enable a Hall to be built”.
Arrangements for the second Scramble were discussed.
Michael Allen has advised that the parking took place in the meadow opposite Hall Farm courtesy of Archie Allen who requested that the proceeds to which he was entitled from the parking charges should be donated to the church. Mr. Hardy was much against this and visited Archie Allen to endeavour to persuade him to make the same concession as for the first scramble whereby the Village Hall Committee was the beneficiary of the parking charges. Archie Allen’s wish was sustained and the church benefited from the parking fees.

May 1st 1962

This meeting was held at the Post Office Stores, Deopham. Those present were:

Mr. Hardy (Chairman)	Mr. Stone
Mr. H. Cudmore (Secretary)	Mr. Phoenix
Mrs. Leverett	Mr. Jones
Mrs. Downes	Mr. C. Woods
Mrs. Stone

No progress on discussions with the trustees of the Charity land.
Arrangements for the next Scramble were discussed.

June 4th 1962

This meeting was held at the home of Mrs R. Downes; all members were present.
The last Scramble had made a profit of £33 5s 9d.
[No further scrambles were held after this second occasion.]
The Secretary was asked to contact the owners of the Victoria Inn to see if they were interested in a sale or lease.

March 25th 1964 – New Committee appointed at Parish Meeting

Mr. E.N. Stone	Hackford
Mr. R. Wilkinson	Deopham
Mr. E. Darkins	Deopham
Mr. R. Woods	Hackford
Mr. A. Capes	Deopham
Mrs. Barham	Deopham

June 14th 1964

This meeting of the Committee was held at No 19, Vicarage Road (the Secretary’s home).

Those present were:

Photo: G. Sankey 2/25

Mr. E.N. Stone	Chairman
Mrs. Barham	Treasurer
Mr. Cudmore	Hon Secretary
Mr. R. Wilkinson
Mr. E. Darkins
Mr. R. Woods

The Committee agreed to tender £25 for the 0.37 acres of Charity Land on Vicarage Road.

October 22nd 1964 – Tender accepted for hire of land

This meeting was held at No 19, Vicarage Road. All members were present.
A tender of £32 10s for the hire of the Charity Land of 4.37 acres had been accepted by the Charity Trustees. Subsequent documents define this as the annual rental figure. Discussions had taken place concerning ploughing, harrowing and seeding the field. It was agreed to level the hedge along the Main Road.
Total funds in hand were £664.

November 3rd 1964 – Seeds ordered for playing field

This meeting was held at No 19, Vicarage Road. All members were present.
It was agreed to order 1½ cwt of seeds from Carters Tested Seeds Ltd. at £15 6s 9d per cwt, less a 5% discount.

February 4th 1965

This meeting was held at No 19, Vicarage Road; Mr. Darkins was absent.
It was agreed to instruct Mr. Eagling of Hingham to proceed as soon as possible with:-

Removal of hedge & soil	£25
Ploughing, drilling, Sowing etc	£31

June 27th 1965

This meeting was held at No 19, Vicarage Road; Mr. Capes was absent.
Mr. Eagling had by this time levelled the hedge, ploughed, cultivated and drilled the Playing Field.
It was agreed to accept a quote from Mr. Hall of Morley for fencing materials and gates.

1966 – 1968 – Misc subjects

Discussions about laying a cricket pitch;
Upgrading and repairing the swings;
Provision of changing rooms for visiting cricket & football teams;
Finding new Committee members;
Cutting and aeration of the field;
Fund raising;
Investment of funds not needed in the short term;
Insurance;
Erection of a Sports Pavilion;
Obtaining grants from County Playing Fields Association

March 12th 1968

This meeting was held at the Victoria Public House. The Secretary reported that the Charity Trustees had given permission for the erection of a Pavilion on the Playing Field, and that they were willing to discuss the provision of a long lease.

April 2nd 1968 – Last mention of a Village Hall

It is significant that the heading of the minutes for this meeting label the Committee as the “Deopham Playing Field & Village Hall Committee”. In the minutes for all subsequent meetings, the Committee is called simply “Deopham Playing Field Committee”. It would seem that the Village Hall aspirations had finally been dropped. There is no discussion about the change of name, or the need to change the bank account’s title.

September 9th 1968 – Fete

The Secretary reported that due to unforeseen circumstances this event had been postponed until September 9^th, and that

In Spite of the fine weather & hard work on the part of the helpers, a very poor attendance was recorded, & only a small profit of £11.14.1 was recorded. This was probably due to the fact that it was the first really dry day for a long period & a considerable number of persons who would have attended were busy trying to salvage some of the Harvest.

May 8th 1969 – Planning permission for Pavilion announced

Meeting at the Victoria Public House, the Secretary reported to the Committee that:

The Forehoe & Henstead R.D.C. had given permission for the erection of a Pavilion in the playing field, subject to it being erected not less than 20′ from east & north boundaries. The Charity Trustees have been informed & were agreeable to a longer lease, renewable after five years.

May 28th 1969

This meeting was held at 16, Coldham Green; the Committee agreed to go ahead with the provision of an Arcon Hut for use as a pavilion. Mr. Seales agreed to try to obtain shuttering for the concrete base. Ready mix concrete would be ordered as soon as the base was ready.

Photo: G. Sankey 2/25

June 5th 1969 – Hut started

The concrete base for the Arcon Hut was reported to have been completed, but the application for planning permission had had to be restarted because of an earlier misunderstanding.

September 10th 1969 – Planning Permission passed

This meeting was held at 16, Coldham Green; the Secretary reported that the plans for the erection of an Arcon Hut had been passed by the Planning Authorities. He was instructed to proceed with the purchase & erection of the building.

January 14th 1970 – The Hut had been erected

(The previous few meetings had been concerned with the arrangements for a sponsored walk to raise funds).

This meeting of January 14^th 1970 took place at 16, Coldham Green. It was reported that the Arcon Hut had been erected and it remained to complete the damp-proofing, decorating, painting of the outside and the provision of curtains.

Photo: G. Sankey 2/25

June 7th 1971 – 25 year lease

The first draft of a 25 year lease for the playing fields had been received from the Charity Trustees. Three alterations were requested, but generally the Playing Fields Committee were in favour. They felt that “on the whole, the terms of the lease were fair and without prejudice”.
Consideration was given to purchasing a tractor so that it would not be necessary to pay contractors to cut the field.

July 5th 1971

The minutes record that:

The Committee decided that the original swings were in a dangerous condition & should be repaired as soon as possible. The Secretary was instructed to get quotations for this work.

This was the latest in a long saga of comments about problems with the swings going back to the early days of this Committee.

September 6th 1971

The revisions to the lease requested from the Charity Trustees were reported to be acceptable so the lease was returned for “finalising and drawing up for signature”.
On the subject of toilets, it was decided “to go into this more fully”.

October 18th 1971

It was agreed to accept a quote of £20 from Mr. Churton of Rockland for the repair of the swings, replacing the wires with chains. It was noted that at this time the play equipment comprised:

Two sets of swings;
2 sets of parallel swing bars.

At the following meeting, it was agreed to add a see-saw using money donated by Miss Bone. This apparatus would be purchased from Overtons.

It was reported that corrugated tin sheeting had been received for the provision of toilets and that enquiries were being made to obtain wood for the supports.

Photo: G. Sankey 2/25

1971 – 1974 – Misc Subjects

During these years it was recorded that the following subjects were discussed in the committee meetings:-

Swings;
Fund raising;
Organising Fetes;
Provision of toilets;
Renewal of the lease;
Obtaining grants;
Mowers (a gang of cutters was purchased in September 1973 from Hingham Football Club for £35);
Repairing the cutters;
Finding a tractor to pull the cutters;
Spraying the daisies

April 25th 1974 – Committee re-elected

The following were re-elected at a Parish Meeting held at Deopham School for a further 3 year term:

Mr. R. Woods (Chairman & Treasurer)

Mr. E. Darkins

Mr. H. Phillips

Mr. D. Darkins

Mr. J. Moore

Mr. T. Ethridge

Mr. D. Losh-Atkinson
(newly elected)

Mrs. R. Losh-Atkinson
(Co-opted at the following meeting & agreed to act as secretary)

June 3rd 1974

This meeting took place at The Grange, home of Mr. & Mrs. Lush Atkinson. It was the first meeting at which Mrs. Lush-Atkinson took on the role of Secretary. The elegance of her minutes stands out from any previous writings for this Committee as can be seen in the following extract:

Photo: FDP Savills, 2004

1974 – 1975 – Misc subjects

Fundraising;
Fetes;
Wear of the turf at the goal mouths;
Maintenance of cutters;
Toilets;
Provision of a water supply to the Hut;
Collecting overdue payments from Deopham Football Club;
Parking;

June 16th 1975 – Installation of water supply complete

This meeting was held at The Grange; Committee members present were

Mr D. Losh-Atkinson

E. Darkins

R. Woods

Mrs. Losh-Atkinson (Secretary)

1975 – 1976 – finance

In the early days of this Committee there had been discussions about the investment of funds not required immediately. By the time of this meeting, the Committee was leading a hand to mouth existence: there was no money to purchase a tarpaulin to protect the mower, and bills could not be paid until income from clubs had been received. Discussions continued on fundraising; a fete and a dance to be held in Wicklewood were planned.

May 4th 1976 – letting the field

It was decided to offer the football pitch to the Attleborough Sunday football team for £40 (not including the goal posts or nets) for the season, and to refuse the application from the Robert Kett football team since the latter had made “inconsiderate use of facilities”.

July 6th 1976 – not letting the field

The Attleborough Football Club had written to say they would be “unable to rent the football pitch next season after all”. It was agreed that the Secretary should send them a letter “expressing their feelings of annoyance to be inconvenienced in this way”. There was no suggestion of crawling back to the Robert Kett team, indeed it was decided that “the pitch need not be let after all as this might help to keep it in good condition over the next few months.”

1976 – 1977 – Misc subjects

Tennis Courts;
Renewal of the Hut planning permission;
Insurance;
Fundraising;
Arrangements for a dance to be held in Wicklewood;
A leak in the roof of the pavilion;
Collection of funds owed;
Toilet repairs;
Planting trees for Jubilee year;
Laying on electricity to the Hut;
A urinal was built in the S.W. corner of the field;
Arrangements for cutting the grass.

October 4th 1977

This is the last meeting in the publicly available minutes. It was held in The Grange, as had all meetings since June 16^th 1975. Those present were:

Mr. Woods

Mr. Turner

Mr. Darkins

Mr. Losh-Atkinson

Mrs. Losh-Atkinson

The Committee had to agree to settle the bill for damage caused at Wicklewood Village Hall which had occurred during the Deopham Village Playing Fields dance held there. It is not recorded what profit had been made from the event, nor the size of the bill for damages.
It was mentioned that there had been complaints about boys riding mopeds on the playing field, although no action was resolved.
There were further discussions about money owing from the Wymondham Sunday Football Club, and arrangements for a coffee evening to be held that November.

2022 – Enhanced parking

In 2022 a planning application was submitted to, and approved by, South Norfolk District Council to change the access and parking:

Photo: G. Sankey, 2/25

Notes

This page is heavily dependent upon the “official” minutes of this Committee. The original is held by the Norfolk Record Office to whom all rights are reserved; their document reference is PC 98/62.

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Village Hall Project

Date	Change
30/6/25	2022 planning application
9/3/25	Parking charges for the Scrambles
20/2/25	Published