Hyde Park Sports Ground opens, creating a new sporting hub for West Monkton

West Monkton Parish Council is celebrating the official opening of the new Hyde Park Sports Ground, marking an important milestone in the development of a major community sporting facility for the parish. At the Grand Opening Event, which brought over three hundred of the local community together, the facilities were officially opened by Erin Osborne, Head Coach of Somerset Women’s Cricket and former Aussie International; and England Rugby International player and Exeter Chiefs back-row Ethan Roots.

Located alongside the Eastern Relief Road between the Canal roundabout and the Hardys Road roundabout, the Sports Ground has been a significant project for the Parish Council. Following a lengthy period of negotiation, the Council acquired the land allocated for sports pitches and has overseen its transformation into a facility designed to support sport, recreation and young people across the community.

The new Sports Ground includes a rugby pitch, cricket square, artificial cricket square, three lane enclosed cricket nets, floodlighting and the pump track. A key part of the project has been the close working relationship between West Monkton Parish Council, West Monkton Cricket Club and Taunton Rugby Club. Representatives from both sporting organisations are members of the Sports Pitch Committee, helping to shape the development and future use of the facility. The partnership demonstrates what can be achieved when local organisations work together with a shared commitment to providing opportunities for the community.

The Sports Ground is about much more than traditional organised sport. The Parish Council has been keen to create facilities that appeal to young people and provide somewhere active, positive and accessible for them to spend time. The pump track is a particularly important part of that vision, offering a unique facility within the local area. The Council has also been working with young people to bring creativity and personality to the site. Fundraising is taking place to enable Aerosol Art to work with local young people on a mural for the pump track storage container. The pump track has also benefited from the support of local business The Bicycle Chain, which has sponsored the facility. Together, these initiatives are helping to ensure that young people have a role in shaping a facility designed to support their interests and wellbeing.

The official opening marks the beginning of the next chapter for Hyde Park Sports Ground. Subject to booking arrangements, the sports facilities will be available for community use, free of charge, outside of their use by Taunton Rugby Club and West Monkton Cricket Club. The

Parish Council is also continuing to work towards further improvements, including the development of a pavilion, with fundraising underway to help make this possible.

Stuart Haskins, Chair of West Monkton Parish Council, said:
“Today is a really proud moment for West Monkton Parish Council and our community. Hyde Park Sports Ground has taken a huge amount of work, determination and partnership to bring to fruition, and it is fantastic to see it becoming a reality.

“I would like to thank everyone who has played a part in making this project possible, including the organisations and contractors involved, West Monkton Cricket Club and Taunton Rugby Club for their close partnership working, The Bicycle Chain for sponsoring the pump track and everyone who has supported our fundraising efforts.

“Most importantly, this is a facility created with our community and for our community. We wanted to provide opportunities for local people to get active, enjoy sport and spend time together, while giving our young people facilities that are exciting, positive and a little bit different.

“The pump track is a great example of that vision, and we are particularly pleased that young people are being given the opportunity to help shape the site through the mural project with Aerosol Art. We want them to feel that this is their space too.

“There is still more to come, but the official opening of Hyde Park Sports Ground is a fantastic achievement and one that we hope will benefit generations of local people.”

More information about the Hyde Park Mural Project can be found here = https://www.gofundme.com/f/mural-art-project-for-hyde-park-pump-track-container

More information about hiring the facilities at Hyde Park Sports Ground can be found here = https://westmonktonparishcouncil.gov.uk/sports-pitches/

High visibility pitch-side business advertising is available – please contact clerk@werstmonktonparishcouncil.gov.uk for more information.