The recreation ground

The town celebrated the coronation of King George V by opening a new recreation ground which is still in use today. It is a large open space with play facilities that have been added in recent years and surrounded  by council houses, mainly in what is appropriately known as Recreation Road, and Harrington Street.

The official opening was held on the day of the coronation, Friday 30th June 1911, and it must have been a grand occasion because the Stamford Mercury later reported:

In the afternoon at 2 o'clock, all the children of the town met in the Market Place, formed in procession and headed by the Band, members of the Council etc paraded to the new Recreation Ground which was formally opened by Alderman W R Wherry. The other members of the Council taking part were Messrs G H Mays, William Nowell, J B Shilcock and T B Measures, the latter being Chairman of the Recreation Ground Committee. There were 1,100 people present.

Trees were planted along the western boundary of the ground but many of these died soon afterwards and were replanted by Bourne Urban District Council.

The recreation ground has been well used since, being a regular venue for the Guy Fawkes Night bonfire celebrations, football matches for the younger boys and girls at weekends.

More recently, the ground has been used for the travelling fairs that visit Bourne annually, rather than allow them use the car park in the town centre. It is also a favourite spot for people living in the vicinity to exercise their dogs. Vandalism has been a problem in recent years and a block of public toilets that once stood alongside Recreation Road was demolished by the local authority, now South Kesteven District Council, because they had been so badly damaged.

The recreation ground was refurbished by South Kesteven District Council in September 2013 at a cost of £50,000 when a new area for disabled children was added. Dare to be Different, a support group for parent carers, worked closely on the design with council officials and includes a swing seat with a supported back rest and a roundabout which can take a wheelchair. Contributions to the cost also came from the housing developer Larkfleet Homes which is building several new estates in the vicinity.

Phil Jordan, the council's community leisure officer, told The Local newspaper (September 20th) that the new equipment and general improvements had greatly enhanced the recreation ground which would attract more children. "The disabled project fits in superbly with our priority to promote active lifestyles allowing children of all ages and abilities to play together, have lots of fun and make new friends", he said.

Laura Tilley, chairman of Dare to be Different, was equally enthusiastic. "A visit to a play park should be part of everybody's childhood memories", she said. "The play area is intended to incorporate equipment that children with disabilities can access and enjoy playing alongside their peers so that children of varying ages and abilities can play together."

PHOTO ALBUM
Sunday morning football for youngsters cheered on by parents and friends.
Temporary buildings, pictured left, were used for twenty years by youngsters playing football on the recreation ground but they were quite inadequate and often vandalised. They were the only accommodation available for the 200 boys and girls aged from nine to fifteen from the eleven teams of Bourne Town Juniors Football Club who played or practised there every weekend but in 1999, the club won its fight to have them replaced. The new sports pavilion, pictured right, was built later that year at a cost of £70,000, providing four changing rooms, toilets and showers, and it was completed in time for the opening of the season in the autumn. The pavilion was a joint project between Bourne Town Council and South Kesteven District Council but supporters of the club raised £10,000 towards the cost through donations and fund-raising events.

REVISED SEPTEMBER 2013