Archives 2019

With autumn upon us we are pleased to say that we’ve made a lot of progress during the summer. We attended quite a few events, including the combined churches fete and carnival day.

New Gates For Southward Lane Field

Thanks to the Marlborough Area Board grant we received, we were delighted to replace the old wire gates to the Southward Lane field with a lovely new gate. There is a gap for pedestrians and those using mobility scooters, so this will make life for all those using the field much more comfortable, while keeping the area secure. This is one of two gates that we were able to buy, and while one is being stored until it is needed, this one will be moved to it’s new position between Palmers and Southward Lane fields, as and when the development begins . (This is marked on the plans on our website).

While we were installing the new gate it was fantastic to see regular Saturday sporting events taking place behind us. It was a great reminder of the keen sports interest that there is in Aldbourne. On this particular Saturday a group of about 20 people (aged from 12 to over 50) were playing mixed rugby netball as well as a fitness session.

Stay in Touch

As always if you have any questions or suggestions, please do get in contact with us at: info@ARC-Aldbourne.org.uk 

We send this newsletter to nearly 70 people every month and are adding new people every month, so if you know anyone who may like to receive it please let us know. We are also active on social media, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by clicking on the links below. 

Many thanks again


Malcolm Pryce, Chairman, Aldbourne Recreation Centre 

While we’ve been enjoying a summer of fabulous weather, it’s been a busy time for ARC with lots of news to share

Palmers Field Update

We are making good progress with the lease for Palmers Field. Although it’s taking a little longer than we hoped, it’s really important that the least satisfies the needs of Aldbourne Parish Council as well as ARC. We hope to have another meeting with members of the Parish Council this month and hope that we will be able to agree terms of the lease. We will have more news for you in our next newsletter. 

Meanwhile, thanks to some funding we have already received, we’ve been working with the Parish council to install a new gate and entrance on to the Southward Lane Playing Field. This will be the entrance to the proposed development on Palmers Field and will replace the old rusty gates that are there at the moment. We’ll let you know when it’s been completed.   

Out and About

Thank you to all those who came along and saw us at the Combined Churches fete on the 30th of June. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to chat to people about our plans and answer questions. Apart from giving out information, we were able to add more people to our mailing list, so thank you again for all your interest. Look out for our banner at many more events over the coming months, including the Proms Concert on the Green, on the 4th of August and of course during carnival week. 

Congratulations to Aldbourne Band

We would like to congratulate Aldbourne Band on its qualification for the British Open Brass Band Championships.  This is a momentous occasion for an amateur village brass band, competing against heavily sponsored organisations, many of whom field professional musicians.  The band will be up against the top 17 bands in the Country and from around Europe, and we at ARC want to ensure that our village band has facilities to match, by providing a home for the future for our band, and its youth training programme. An arts and music room for our great band and other local musicians and artists, is a key part of ARC’s proposals along with a modern sports facility and of course the home of a big new hut for the scouts and guides. 

Design Concepts

We have been in contact with some leading specialist architects to consider our development proposals. We are pleased to say that we will be having a series of meetings over the next month to decide which architect to team up with and progress to the next stage once a lease has been signed with Aldbourne Parish Council. 

Family Picnic and Sports Day

We are very excited to announce that we will be part of the Aldbourne Carnival celebrations this year by hosting a Family Picnic and Sports Day on Palmers Field on Saturday the 25th of August. It’ll be a fantastic day with an opportunity to enjoy a variety of sporting events featuring competitions and demonstrations for all ages and abilities. Whether you take part or just watch the fun, we look forward to seeing you there. All the details will be on a leaflet that we’ll be posting to every house in the village nearer the time.

In our Next Newsletter

Now that things are progressing at quite a pace, we will aim to send out more frequent updates. In our next update we’ll share some exiting funding news as well as details of our AGM and lots more. 

Stay in Touch

Thanks again to all our supporters for all their continued commitment; we really appreciate it. As always if you have any questions or suggestions, please do get in contact at: 

info@ARC-Aldbourne.org.uk 

Also, please do let us know if there is anyone else who would like to receive this newsletter, and don’t forget we are active on social media, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by clicking on the links below. 

Many thanks again

Malcolm Pryce, Chairman, Aldbourne Recreation Centre

Welcome to our latest Newsletter. I’m sure you’ll have received many emails over the last few weeks concerning the new regulation about data privacy called General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR. Like all charities and organizations, we need to ensure we also comply, so we’ll be sending you an email tomorrow and ask that you kindly fill it in. This way we can keep you fully up to date with everything we’re doing at ARC. 

Palmers Field Update

We are at a crucial stage for ARC because we are close to agreeing a lease with Aldbourne Parish Council. As we’ve mentioned before we received some recommendations from our solicitor. As a result, we’ve been in touch with the council expressing our concerns over a few matters in the lease.

Although we are very keen to sign a lease, it’s essential that the lease complies with all our charitable commitments, which have been laid down by the Charities Commission. Equally we have to be certain that the terms of the lease will not affect our ability to raise the necessary funds to achieve our aims and commitments

Because of the advice we’ve received, we are concerned that the current terms of the lease may not meet these important requirements, so we are seeking extra professional help. Although we can never be certain of funding until applications have been made, we are consulting with experts who would be able to give us some professional guidance. While we appreciate this is taking more time than we would have liked, it’s essential that we can agree terms of a lease that will satisfy the needs of Aldbourne Parish Council as well as ARC. 

Out and About

As this is a very exciting year for ARC, we’re determined to keep the village fully informed of every stage of our progress. One of the ways we’re doing this is to be at as many village events as we can, so that people can come along for a chat and have an opportunity to ask questions. We have a big banner so please look out for it starting from the Fete on the green on Saturday the 30^thof June. 

We will still keep you updated with emails as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Please click on the links at the bottom of this page.

Please also let us know if anyone else would like to receive this newsletter and as always if you have any questions or suggestions, please do get in contact with us at, info@ARC-Aldbourne.org.uk.

In the meantime, we’d like to thank to all our supporters for all their continued commitment; we really do appreciate it.

Many thanks again

Malcolm Pryce, 

Chairman, Aldbourne Recreation Centre

Firstly, all of us at ARC would like to wish you and your families a very Happy Easter and hope you enjoy the spring break, despite the weather. 

Palmers Field Lease Update

It’s been another busy month for ARC and the main news is that we have received a draft lease from Aldbourne Parish Council.  We sent the document to our solicitor, who is advising us on all legal matters connected with our plans for the proposed development on Palmers Field. As we’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, our solicitor has extensive experience with this type of project and is also very knowledgeable about charities as well as funding. His input is invaluable to ensure the long-term future of ARC’s proposal for Palmers Field.

This is a very important stage for ARC because we have to be certain that any lease will comply with all our charitable commitments, which have been laid down by the Charities Commission. We also need to be sure that the terms of the lease will not affect our ability to raise the necessary funds to achieve our aims and commitments.  Our solicitor has raised some points in the lease that we need to discuss with the Parish Council, and we hope to arrange a meeting sometime in April, so that we can agree terms of a lease that will satisfy the needs of Aldbourne Parish Council as well as ARC. We hope to have more news for you in our next newsletter. 

Drawing Up Plans

Meanwhile we are continuing to have invaluable meetings with various sports and recreational groups in the village, which is helping us put together a design brief. The initial design brief will be going to a group of carefully selected RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) who are specialists in this type of project. They will be tasked to come up with some outline concepts that we can then put forward to everyone for consultation. This will take a little while, but we want to be absolutely sure we end up with the best project, at the best price and a building(s) that best suits the sports and recreational needs of Aldbourne.

This is certainly looking to be a very exciting year for ARC, so we look forward to keeping you up to date at every stage of our progress. Again, we’d like to thank to all our supporters for all their continued commitment; we really appreciate it.If you have any questions or suggestions, please do get in contact with us at, info@ARC-Aldbourne.org.uk and let us know if anyone else would like to receive this newsletter every month. Also, don’t forget we are active on social media so please do follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Many thanks again

Malcolm Pryce, 

Chairman, Aldbourne Recreation Centre 

Despite the January weather, we hope you’ve had a good start to 2018. The ARC team is very excited that this looks like the year that real progress will be made, and a long-term lease will be agreed for Palmer’s Field. Solicitors for Aldbourne Parish Council have been working hard on the draft lease, which we hope will be ready very soon. It has taken quite a while to get to this stage, but it’s important to get it right and it will definitely be worth it. 

Exciting Plans

We’ve had more meetings with various sports and recreational groups this month, to get more of an understanding of what they need and how any proposed development on Palmers Field could benefit them. This consultation is essential and will continue throughout the planning process. On the subject of planning, we’ve been delighted to have a lot of help from RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects). They have trawled the country for five architects who have real previous practical experience with these types of projects. They have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to thiscombination of facilities, and we are considering setting up a competition for their concepts. More news on this next month.

Sport in Aldbourne

In last month’s newsletter we shared pictures from the touch rugby session over Christmas, and we are really delighted to see that the Saturday morning ‘Fitness with Friends’initiative is also blossoming. Mike Campbell and Rupert Bound, who tirelessly organise these weekly events, don’t seem at all phased by so many people of all ages and abilities assembling on Saturday mornings. It just shows how popular sport and fitness is in Aldbourne. Give it a try. Even a couple of ARC trustees join in and if we can do it you probably can!

What’s Next

While we wait for the all-important lease to be signed, we are continuing with our planning and consultations. In addition to our research in to core funding we are also looking at fundraising activities here in the village. There have already been some great ideas so we’ll keep you posted. 

We are also looking at putting a lot more information on our website, so you can keep up to date with all our news and find out a bit more about the team behind ARC. 

Again, a big thank you to all our supporters for your continued commitment; we really are very grateful. 

Malcolm Pryce, 

Chairman, Aldbourne Recreation Centre 

Firstly, we hope you’re enjoying the festive season, and isn’t it lovely to see so many great events taking place around our village at this time of year.  At ARC, we’ve had a busy month so have lots of news to share with you: –

• Lease Update
• New Funding
• What’s Next

Lease Update

We’re making good progress in obtaining a lease for Palmers Field from Aldbourne Parish Council. Unfortunately, this does take time because of the complexities of the project and our charitable status. There are many factors that need to be considered by both ARC and the Parish Council to ensure the final lease works well for everyone concerned. The matter was discussed at the Parish Council meeting earlier this month, and we are hoping that there will be some more news to share with everyone over the next couple of months. 

New Funding

We were delighted to receive confirmation that ARC has been awarded a grant of £2000 by:

What Next?

This is very exciting indeed and it means we can now progress to the formal design stage. 

Firstly though, there’ll be a formal lease signing ceremony and the unveiling of the new ARC Noticeboard sometime over the next couple of weeks. Everyone is very welcome to come along and witness this momentous occasion, so we’ll let you know exactly where and when in another email very soon. 

The really hard work starts now, and we have already instructed the architect to draw up some initial designs for the new building that will go on Palmers Field, along with the other facilities we plan for the area. 

We will keep you fully informed with our plans every step of the way and we are aware that there are some people who are keen to help in some way and we welcome any suggestions or offers. We are certainly looking to expand our core team members so please do get in touch. 

We’ll be back in touch soon with details of the lease signing ceremony and what we’ll be doing over the next few months.

In the meantime many thanks again to all our supporters for all their continued commitment.