SOUTH BRENT RECREATION ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REPORT May 2026 Introduction The Recreation Ground remains a popular space for the residents of South Brent and visitors from further afield. The footpath encircling the field has been especially well received, with people making use of it regardless of the weather or time of day, including during the hours of darkness.
Activities and Clubs The facilities have continued to be utilised by the Football and Cricket Clubs, who have almost managed to fulfil all their fixtures over the past year. The Judo Club makes regular weekly use of the hall, as does Pilates and chair Yoga and full Yoga sessions are held throughout the week. Cash Bingo has continued on a fortnightly basis, attracting over 40 or more participants each time, thanks are due to Avril and her team for their efforts. Thanks also go to Chris Oldershaw for organising the Table Tennis club as a fundraiser for us. We also thank Bruce Baker from Judo who deals with recycling. On Monday evenings, the Youth Club is run by Elis Norton and his volunteers from Ivybridge Youth for Christ. They now offer two sessions catering to different age groups, both of which are well attended, with 28 younger members and 10 older members. A grant of £1,000 from The Gibbons Trust will help to cover hire of the hall. A Licence Agreement with Ivybridge Youth for Christ sets out these arrangements and is scheduled for review in December 2026. Additional activities include Live Art drawing classes led by Isobel Coulton and a weekly Family session for Home Schooling familiesThe Fair Share initiative continues to use the Pavilion weekly, distributing food and other items to the public, who have supported it enthusiastically. Occasional hirers increased from 17 last year to 37 this year with quite a number of children’s parties because the hall space is proving idea
Staffing The Parish Council has also provided a two-year grant of £20,000 a year for employing staff to assist with running the Association and the Recreation facility, for which the Association is most grateful After interviews, Tracy Ebbrell was appointed. However, when trying to address some communication issues, Tracy resigned leaving us back at square one. It was then decided that to prevent this problem happening with someone leaving for whatever reason the various tasks would be split up and carried out by different people. Lisa Madge now takes and publishes minutes for Committee meetings, and Suzanne Prytherch manages the booking system and invoicing for both the Pavilion and the Field. The Association aims to employ someone for fundraising next. Ground maintenance and other tasks are handled by Darcy Payne. So far, £11,904 has been spent on staffing costs, this is down on the allocated amount partly due to a gap in staffing between January and March, when Tracy resigned
Field and Facilities Management The footpath around the field remains heavily used by walkers and runners, with an increase in dog walkers. However, there are ongoing issues with a few owners failing to pick up after their dogs. Notices stencilled on the footpath, organised by Gary Shipp, that thank those who do and encourage others to follow suit. The poo bag dispenser is kept stocked for public use. The vast majority of dog walkers are responsible, and the Association extends its gratitude to them. Some older dog walkers even pick up additional droppings and rubbish during their early morning walks. Litter bins are regularly emptied by South Hams District Council, with three bins serviced weekly at a cost of £5 per bin.Improvements and MaintenanceThe Pavilion has benefited from exterior decoration and some of the external woodwork was refurbished carried out by Rob Ilman. Other improvements included the addition of two gym equipment pieces, speed humps with signage, and a new lawn mower. Repairs are a constant necessity. The Adventure Play Area saw repairs and upgrades to rotten timbers, now replaced with Robinia wood and reorganised to keep a climbing area, all paid for by the Parish Council. The garage door received new sealing strips and brushes to prevent rodent ingress, which appears to have been successful as no rodents have been detected this year. Due to a lack of storage for the Pavilion users, No. 4 Changing room was converted to a storage area which we hope in the future to partition off into secure areas.
GRANTS A metal handrail was fitted to the new access steps to the Pavilion thanks to grants from Devon County Council £500 and South Hams £400 Locality Funds. This completed the improvements to the steps to and the path around the Pavilion funded by grants of £18,000 by the National Lottery Community Fund and £5,000 from the Parish CouncilThe area of vegetation adjacent to the Cricket nets and No. 1 footpath was cleared, helped by a £2,000 grant from the Norman Family Trust in preparation for creating a games area. The Association had received a grant toward the supply and installation of an outdoor Table Tennis table, this had to be completed by June this year. To enable this condition to be met and after discussions with our contractor, the area was levelled and the rough foundation for the final surface was carried out, with the aid of a synthetic grass carpet the Table Tennis table has now been temporarily installed. The final surface will be laid when funds are available. The association is most grateful to Outdoor Home Improvements of Newton Abbot for the suggestions and assistance to enable the table tennis table to be installed.
Thanks to a donation in memory of her husband by Rosemary Rooks a Water fountain and bottle filler has been installed in the Pavilion wall, the Association is most grateful for this kind donation.
The future of the Skate Park is under discussion, with options for either a concrete structure or retaining the individual units currently in use. Regardless of the choice, it represents a significant financial commitment. Darcy Paine continues to be employed to maintain the grounds, including grass verges, car parks, tennis courts, BMX track and general tidiness. Simon Birbeck continued to do grass cutting of the field and inside hedges and Mike Bassett doing the boundary hedge.Devon Cleaning continues to manage cleaning inside the Pavilion. Windows are cleaned monthly, and gutters cleared yearly by Dizzle Dazzle of Ivybridge.
Insurance and Parish Council Support The Parish Council continues to insure the Pavilion and outdoor equipment, while the Association covers only the contents. Public Liability insurance is provided under both policies. This arrangement significantly helps to control insurance costs, and the Association hopes the Parish Council will maintain this support. The Association is again grateful for the continued financial support from the Parish Council which this year has included grants for tree work on the Exeter Road boundary, the provision of Speed Humps to the main entrance, Remedial work on the Adventure Play Area timbers and finally the grant towards the employment of staff to assist in running the Association. Very many thanks to the Parish Council.
Grant Applications Anne Nicholls continues to apply for various grants and was successful providing funding for improvements such as entrance steps to the Pavilion, footpath seating, gym equipment, youth club hall hire and clearance of space to the new games area. Other applications are awaiting outcomes. Securing grants has proved especially challenging this past year. Our thanks go to Sarah Reynolds who prepared the accounts and has offered help and advice during the year.
Lottery, Friends of the Rec and Donations The monthly lottery continues successfully, with around 40 members participating. Thanks go to Geraldine for managing and running the lottery. We are also grateful to everyone who belongs to the Friends of the Rec and also to everyone who has donated to our online appeals to help improvements.Committee The Association is grateful to all committee members for their continued attendance at meetings. Special appreciation goes to Anne Nicholls for her work as Treasurer and for organising numerous events and activities at the Recreation Field. Treasurer’s note: Many thanks on behalf of the Association goes to our Chairman Peter Kelly for his constant time and commitment in ensuring the Rec facilities run smoothly. We are most grateful. It has proved a busy year and without the expertise and experience aiding the development of projects and dealing with challenges from our trustees Peter Kelly and Mark Coppleston we wouldn’t have achieved such positive progress, so thank you both.
Conclusion Despite the challenges and frustrations of managing the facilities at Palstone Park, especially in these trying times, it is important to recognise the Recreation Field is among the best in South Devon, if not in all of Devon. The community can take pride in this achievement.
