Abington Recreation Ground

PLEASE NOTE:

Motor Vehicles are allowed on the Recreation Ground only for maintenance purposes, with the permission of the committee.

The Abington Recreation Ground ('Rec') occupies just over 6 acres in the middle of the village behind the Cricket Ground, just to the south of the River Granta. It includes an area with children's play equipment, an outdoor gym and a Multi-User Games Area with tennis and netball equipment. It is marked out for football and is used by the Abington Football club.

The Rec is roughly triangular and can be accessed near each apex. From the east, there is a footpath from the Abington Institute alongside the school playground and from Church Lane in the north over a footbridge from a footpath alongside Abington Woods, the former scout camp site. A public right of way runs along the western edge from the footbridge to Great Abington church. Pedestrian and vehicular access is possible from the south by the church.
 
The ground is managed by a committee (ARGC) comprising representatives of the two parish councils, Great and Little Abington, in which it lies, together with representatives of the users. It is owned by Great Abington parish council. Committee members keep an eye on the condition of the ground and equipment, arrange for maintenance and bin emptying and also minor repairs.
 
Members of the committee as at December 2019:
  • Great Abington parish council: Louise Patten, Jill Carter, Stephen McDonnell
  • Little Abington parish council: Peter Brunning, Richard Smith, Richard Allum
  • Cricket and Football clubs: David Pimblett, Dennis Tiplady
  • Children’s Play Equipment: Charlotte Adams
  • Pump Track Project, Great Abington Primary School: Alan Cooke
Faults and hazards
Newcomers are warned that the River Granta, which runs along the northern boundary is usually shallow for most of its length through the Rec but it can occasionally flood, with deep water and strong currents. Adults should supervise their children and animals when they play in the river.
 
The equipment is inspected annually with a detailed report, which is carefully considered by the committee, with any serious faults remedied whenever possible. See sidebar for latest info..
 
Occasionally, things do go wrong!. Please let us know of any faults with the equipment, especially if they are hazardous!
You can advise either of the parish clerks or any of the above committee members.
 
Please note that the play equipment is intended for children under 12, supervised by their parents; the gym equipment is designed for adults and not suitable for the under-12s
(see also notes on the notice board and gym instruction plaque.)
 
Insurance 2021-22 
The Recreation Ground is insured through Hiscox.
The Certificate of insurance can be accessed via this link

Location

The Abington Recreation Ground is in the heart of Abington, adjacent to the Cricket Ground, as shown here on OpenStreetMap: 

Here is a drawing of the ground.

ARG Committee Meetings

The committee meets approximately 6 times a year in the Abington Institute (and occasionally on the ground) and meetings are open to the public.

Inspection Reports

The latesr report from Playdafety is here; we have remedied many faults and are working on the others.

Tree Survey

The trees around the Rec were surveyed in December 2017. Those on the south side were surveyed in more detail in order to seek planing guidance on a possible 'pump track' for all-terrain bikes. All were surveyed for safety and one Ash Tree near the school annexe was quickly felled as it was potentially dangerous. Further work along the western edge was carried out in July 2018, with two trees removed and two tall poplars partly reduced. A storm later in the month felled another Ash and a Field Maple. Occasional more minor work has been arried out since.

This report, with a schedule and numbered plan at the end, lists all the trees and the work proposed primarily for safety. Some further trees are likely to be removed for any pump track, after detailed design work has taken place.

Pump Track for the recreation ground

Following an article in the May 2018 issue of the A&H News, the proposal has been refined and we have now received planning permission. In September 2021, we appointed contractors Conservedfor to construct the track. The track was built in March 2022 with minor finishing work such as signage and landscaping to be completed.