Village sports

At Whittlesford parish council last week the Whittlesford Warriors put forward a funding request to help secure a facility at Hauxton. I'm pleased to say that as  a parish council we were happy to back the bid. I have asked the Warriors to also approach the District Council for funding from the Community Chest awards, which is tailor made to support these sort of community initiatives.

Now, it may seem odd at first glance for Whittlesford parish council to be supporting the provision of facilities in another village, but there is a precedent, because the splendid new scout hut in Duxford had £10,000 from the parish council and other help too. And the Warriors have become a club that is bigger than Whittlesford, and demand for space has outgrown what the village can offer. 

But the point was well made at the meeting that maybe one village - even a well-off one like Whittlesford - can no longer afford to provide facilities for all sports given the requirements that exist nowadays for changing rooms etc. That doesnt mean people should stop playing cricket, or tennis, in any one village, but it does mean maybe one village specializes, in the way that Thriplow has with its cricket `(and I was very pleased to help secure funding from the district council for the new nets there a few years back) and Duxford with its scouts, and maybe Whittlesford and Hauxton with the football.

Anything that prolongs the time children have to play sports  and outdoor games before the lure of the play-station, snap-chat, "Call of duty II" and the ipad turn them into zombies.