Most of you in the Club know, but for
those that don't, we have tirelessly campaigned for a number of years to get
the old pot-holed, virtually unusable, cinder track upgraded. This has
become all the more important in the last few years since the club has
started to run junior training sessions at the track at Goldsmiths and we are
having to turn keen juniors away as a result
of the poor state of the track.
We believed we had finally persuaded
the previous Town Council to upgrade and spend money on the track as we
have been unable to obtain any lottery or other funding, despite our efforts
and failed lottery bids. However the newly elected Council has shelved these
plans.
We have several running clubs who have sent letters of support to the
club saying they would use a proper track, including Wadhurst, Heathfield, and
Utopia (Uckfield), and there are also 11 primary schools that could use the
track. We believe therefore that we have proved the need for a proper track. I
also have letters of support from Lord Coe and Dave Moorecroft from UKA
for the upgrade project. Don't forget we are only 5 years away from the Olympics,
yet Wealden is the largest known single English district without a
proper track. With the Government's aim for Britain to be 4th in the Olympic
medal tables, and with obesity rates at their highest level ever, it
is crucial we have good sports facilities. We need to get as many young people
as active as we can, and to encourage them into athletics, and for them
to be able to train on a proper track so they are fit for other sports at grass roots levels.
The new Town Council are now
proposing to grass over the track and we need to petition them not to
grass it over, so please can you contact the council, pointing out how much we
need a proper track and that there is a genuine need for one.
The latest article on the subject
in the Courier, ( dated 28.12.07 ), was as follows :-
Cinder Track to go under rec plans
"A new grass track and
floodlights for Goldsmiths are on the cards for Crowborough next year (08).
The Council Sport, Recreation and
Cemetery Committee has announced its priorities for 2008, which are
dependant of sufficient funding being approved by the council in the new
year.
The most extensive work is probably that
planned at Goldsmith's recreation ground, where the cinder track will be
replaced with grass and floodlights introduced.
Cllr Peter Cowie, chairman of the
committee said "The cinder which is there is not suitable for running.
The previous town council were looking at whether or not to have a full
athletics track or not."
Cllr Cowie said that it was made clear
that the funding, in terms of grants from athletics governing bodies would
not be forthcoming and the demand for the track was not really there so the
cinder track would be replaced with grass, which will be kept to the
length of a "cricket out-field" and marked out as a 400m track.
He said, "We are also putting in
footpaths to create greater recreational use. That enables recreational use
for joggers."
Cllr Cowie said he hoped the
paths would make it far easier for people pushing prams and walking dogs on
the recreation ground.
The area will also be floodlit at lower
intensity than would have been required for track meetings.
The chairman said it may cost
around £60,000 for the paths and £25,000 to take the electricity
supply from the road to where it is needed.
There will then be costs for the
floodlights themselves and for the replacement of the cinder track.
The plans from the committee include an
overhaul of playground equipment with £75,000 earmarked for this.
A recent report from Wealden District
Council identified a lack of provision in terms of recreation in the
town and the committee is looking to buy land in an attempt to rectify this.
Meetings of the Finance and General
Purposes committee and the full council in the new year will decide the
extent to which those plans can be acted on in 2008.