Stilton Village website: About Stilton

General Information
Stilton Parish Council acquired the land for the Village Playing Field in May 2005. A Committee has been established to oversee the necessary works, including drainage and fencing. An area is being made available for 'wheeled sports' (BMX and Skaters), and intensive fundraising is underway by Stilton Sk8z to establish a skate park - if you'd like to make a contribution, please e-mail contact@stilton.org. Please note: no bikes and no dogs on the field.
Location
The Playing Field is at the southern-most limit of the village, beyond the Golf Club. Show Map.

News (most recent at the top)
September 2007:
An Amazing Concert, featuring Leon and Friends, in aid of Stilton's Skate park appeal. Saturday 8th September 2007, 5pm to 9pm. Tickets £5 (primary school add children FREE).[Presented by Stilton Community Association and Stilton Playing Field Committee] Sorry - cancelled. Another event is planned at the Village Hall later in the year.
August 2007:
Stilton United FC Family Sports Day on Sunday 26th August 2007. An opportunity for the whole village to get together and take part, including Sack Races, Egg & Spoon Races, Relays, etc.
June 2007:
A Playing Field Open Day was held on Saturday June 16th 2007 to officially open the field, featuring a mobile skate park to help promote the campaign to acquire a permanent facility on the field. Also Beer Tent, Food, Cheerleaders, Climbing Wall, Rugby, Football, Tai chi, Cricket, Trampoline, Boules...and other sports & attractions. Live music was provided by LEON, Stolen Property and Yellow Snow. The weather let us down, but everyone who came enjoyed the activities and the music. Huge thanks to Mike Nickolay, Peter Mitchell, Carol Warren, Olive Main, Keith Gibson, and to Adam Vickers, who carried on valiantly despite rain flooding the stage. Some pics of the events by Paul at ecofocus.co.uk: (click to enlarge)

March 2007:
We want your views! Complete the Playing Field Questionnaire here.....
November 2006:
Stilton's Guy Fawkes Night Celebrations are held on the playing field. Pictures
August 2006:
Work on the new field seems to be constantly delayed by "the wrong sort of weather!" After the deluge of last autumn, the drought of 2006 has also caused problems, but by the time you read this we hope the drainage work will be completed. It will, however, take time for the ground to settle down, so when you use the field, please take great care as the surface is likely to be uneven for a time.
Please also remember that dogs and bicycles must not be taken onto the field.
July 2006:
By the time you read this, the draining of the field should be complete. The committee had hoped to organise an inaugural Family Day in July but have been advised that the surface could be damaged by a large event and it will still not be completely flat and so could be a safety hazard. However, the plans are "on hold" and may be resurrected before the end of the summer. During the holidays further work on the field infrastructure will be going on, but it should be possible to use the field at the same time. Please obey the rules, especially NO BIKES, NO DOGS on the field.
June 2006 - Parish Council Annual Review:
The playing field will feature in future annual reports as money comes available. This year the field has been fenced and gates put in position. Paving of the entrance and field drainage will start soon, and minor expenditure will allow the field to be used. To oversee all this the Parish Council established a Playing Field Committee under the Chairmanship of Mike Nickolay. Its terms of reference were accepted in September.
Treasurer's Report: The new playing field continues to dominate the Council's expenditure as it is prepared for village use. Around £11,400 has been spent on fencing and gating it. We anticipate spending £14,591 shortly on drainage. (Quotations received were up to £23,382!). We have been quoted £1,000 for a cycle rack.
February 2006
Draining the field will start as soon as the weather improves. The "bell"-shaped entrance will also be constructed as soon as possible. The seats will be replaced, litter bins positioned and cycle racks purchased. The sign, which will set out the rules, should be in position soon.
The Playing Field Committee is now seeking grants so that a multipurpose play area and adventure play equipment can be constructed. An overall plan is under review as there are very long-term considerations such as laying out a football pitch and provision of services.
There has been one setback; the County Council has turned down our application for a grant towards the cost of streetlights along the path to the field gate. Steve Ambler is working hard on looking for grants; any suggestions of where financial help might be available would be most welcome. If you can help, please call Olive Main. (241206)
November 2005
4:30pm on Sunday Nov 6th. Sinking into a sea of mud on the new playing field, rain lashing down, wind howling, there was only one decision - cancel the fireworks display. This was the advice of Kimbolton Fireworks who were to provide the display; only the night before they had had a serious incident at Wicksteed Park and were understandably cautious.
Skate Park: The Parish Council have agreed in principle that we can have a site on the new playing field, the location to be defined later.
A start has been made to provide basic amenities on the new field; the beacon, seats, litter bins and goal posts. Tenders are being sought for construction of the entrance. When that is completed a bicycle storage unit will be installed. A notice board is also on order. Please note that, even though the notice board is not yet in place, there are still rules to be observed. Two that are important to maintain safety are: No bicycles or vehicles. No dogs.
October 2005
Stilton Parish Council is very angry that vandals have once again caused very expensive damage; this time at the new Recreation Field. Wooden fencing along the bridle path has been ripped out and burnt and will have to be replaced. Broken whisky bottles and other evidence of alcohol abuse have to be cleared.
There is no doubt that it is our own home-grown youngsters; only a small minority, but enough to make a lot of people question whether we should even be discussing putting facilities on the field.
The young people are holding a meeting to find out what the majority want. Unless they are also prepared to put pressure on the few who spoil it for everyone else there will be no further action. The Parish will not keep spending residents' money on new facilities only for them to be destroyed in this manner. No doubt the culprits are some of the same people who continually whinge on about the lack of facilities in Stilton.
The Parish Council: The new Playing Field Committee's terms of reference were confirmed and £2500 voted for minor infrastructure projects, such as the provision of litter bins, a cycle rack, seats, and slots for one set of goal posts. Tenders are being sought for the construction of the bell-shaped entrance and the completion of the gates. SPC continues the regular maintenance of the field.
FIRST MEETING OF STILTON PLAYING FIELD COMMITTEE
To plan and organize the development of the new playing field, Stilton Parish Council has set up a committee made up of four Parish Councillors and anyone else who would like to be involved. Mike Nickolay was elected Chairman and Dominic Vallier vice-chair. At present, the rest of the Committee is Olive Main, Mary Croll, Christina Tallowin, Philip Shailer, Diane Sarkinson and Alison Lawrence (the Junction). Other organizations are welcome to send a representative and any village resident who would like to join should contact Mike Nickolay (241023).
Members of the Committee are already using their contacts to look for relevant expertise. The remit of the Committee is to draw up plans for the field for the immediate future, but also long-term, and recommend these to the Parish Council. Some money has been set aside for capital projects in the next few years, such as street lighting, hedging and landscaping, any necessary drainage, the entrance and gates and (expensive and regrettable) security cameras. In addition, the Parish Council will continue to pay for routine maintenance, insurance, cleaning and the provision of services.
What happens in the immediate future is to some extent tied-in with Councillor Mitchell's campaign for a BMX/Skateboard track. Goalposts for the use of local young people, both informally and for organized sport, should also be in place next year. The Committee would like also to provide a play area catering for a wider age range than does Barn Close, and to have seats and picnic tables nearby. In the medium term it is hoped to fund an all-weather "court" because many sports/athletics groups could use this. Also on the wish list is a football pitch and, in the very long term, a community building.
This is the most significant development to involve the village for many years. We have to raise lots of money so if you have any experience in applying for grants, lottery money etc, please come forward. Does your firm support local causes? Can you provide a valuable draw prize? Any (legal and decent) ideas are welcome. The Committee's aim is to provide for as wide a cross section of the community as possible, but it can only do so with help. The first event on the field is the fireworks display on November 6. Please buy your tickets, come along, and spend your money! We also hope that Cheese Rolling 2006 can further swell the funds.
August 2005:
SPORTS FIELD OPEN FOR PLAY!
The fencing around Stilton's new sports field is now nearly completed, so the field can be used for ball games. The field belongs to everyone in Stilton, but to make sure everyone can enjoy it properly there are some simple rules:
RULES
- Bicycles must not be taken onto the field. This is to protect the surface. It is suggested that cyclists invest in a cycle lock so that they can leave their bikes just inside the field gate with confidence.
- No motor vehicles, except for contractors' vehicles.
- No overnight stays
- No dogs
These rules come into effect immediately, even though the notice board is not yet in place. By Order of Stilton Parish Council
July 2005:
YOUR CHANCE TO GET INVOLVED
Now that the playing field has been purchased and a fencing contract awarded, the Parish Council wants to start planning for the short, medium and long term use of the area. To this end, Mike Nickolay will chair a working party of those groups or individuals in the Village who have an interest in seeing this project move forward. The working party will establish a set of requirements, look at ways to meet them, look for ways of funding them and make recommendations to the Parish Council.
The working party will partner with Cllr Peter Mitchell's steering group, looking at youth facilities in Stilton. This will ensure that we get the best value from any external or additional Parish Council funding.
LARGEST INVESTMENT
If you or an organisation which you represent would be interested in getting involved and having a say in the use of the largest single investment ever made by the Parish Council please email Mike at m.nickolay@btinternet.com or call him on (01733) 241023.
May 2005:
It's ours ! - PLAYING FIELD PURCHASE COMPLETED
FENCING AND DRAINING
The final legal processes are now complete and the field to the south of our previous playing field now belongs to the village. Contracts to fence the field will shortly be offered, and advice is being sought on draining the field to a playing field standard. The Parish Council contractor is already maintaining the grass. SCAN will keep everyone informed as to when the field comes into use. That cannot be until the fencing is complete as this is a condition of the sale.