The Chalke Valley Sports Centre – Facilities for all of the Chalke Valley
…a change in seasons…
Although the summer never really got going, that has not been the case for our summer sports. Cricket, tennis and petanque have all enjoyed a return to near normal activity after the periods of disruption. The new Pickleball Club got started, and table tennis has continued indoors, as have yoga and pilates.
With September up on us and the change in season, so we have a change to our sporting programme. Football has started again and indoor bowls also. We also are getting ready to move indoors with Friday night socials and indoor petanque next month.
Tennis will continue through the autumn, benefitting from our floodlit courts, and table tennis also carries on in the main hall. Pickleball will continue when weather allows.
We look forward to hosting the Keystone Brewery Petanque Finals Day on 19 September, the Chalke Valley Facility being recognised as one of the best in the region. Come along and see what it’s all about. We will be running a BBQ and the Sports Bar will be open. We will also be running come and try indoor petanque between 2.00-4.00. Everyone welcome.
Our Star Gazing event in August with Cranborne Chase AONB and Broad Chalke Parish Council was a great success. We were able to see Jupiter and the rings of Saturn; marvel at our Milky Way; observe the Andromeda Galaxy and see many meteors and other fascinating ‘objects’. We hope to put on further events in coming months and to help promote our International Dark Skies Reserve.
September will see further sporting developments at the Sports Centre, following successful grant applications. Check out our Facebook page for updates.
Chalke Valley Sports Centre Facebook Page- For up to date and daily information follow us on our Facebook Page
The Chalke Valley Sports Centre – Facilities for all of the Chalke Valley
…it has been another busy month at the sports centre…
With the removal of Government restrictions on 19 July, the sports centre was opened fully again, although we have taken the decision to do so cautiously and maintain sensible safeguards around sanitising hands on entry, maximising ventilation, advisory wearing of masks whilst inside where possible and continuing to observe sensible distancing and numbers whether inside or out.
Chalke Valley Sports Centre Facebook Page – For up to date and daily information follow us on our Facebook Page
Grant support from Wiltshire Council’s South-West Area Board.
With the support of Wiltshire Councillor Nabil Najjar, we have successfully secured grant support of nearly £3000 towards the next phase of our Getting Our Community Active Again Project and later this year this will see the installation of outdoor cricket practice nets; a basketball practice area adjacent to the sports courts; the purchase of some cycle racks and some portable junior football posts as well as helping to fund other elements of the Project.
So far in the last few months we have secured grant support totalling nearly £10,000 and this has enabled us, in addition to the above, to complete the Petanque Terrain; mark our and purchase equipment for 3 Pickleball Courts and purchase 4 social seating areas.
Our next significant project is to raise money for refurbishment of the Kitchen. A National Lottery funding application has been submitted to try and achieve this.
Friday Night Petanque Socials – Last month we held our first Friday night BBQ as part of the social Petanque evening and with generous support from the meat company Heck, thirty valley residents enjoyed a very pleasant evening of Petanque, a drink or two from the Sports Bar and an excellent BBQ with home baked bread rolls very kindly donated by Terry Jolly. Come and join us from 6.30pm each Friday. It’s just £2 for the night (non-BBQ) and all equipment is provided.
Normal Club Activities- Now that we are operating back to near normal, check out our website for full schedule of events including tennis, cricket, table tennis, pickleball, ypga, indoor bowls and pilates.
The Laughing Aztecs: Don’t miss the excellent Mexican takeaway food on a Sunday evening.
Make Someone Welcome Campaign: Having signed up to this campaign in partnership with the Go Out Get Active Project it continues to be our pledge to make everyone welcome at the Sports Centre. Just turn up at a Club session and have a go.
Children’s Parties: If you are looking for a great venue with lots of outdoor space get in touch through our general email.
The Chalke Valley Sports Centre – Facilities for all of the Chalke Valley
We have had a busy June with lots of news and things going on….
It was disappointing that we could not open the Sports Centre fully on 21 June, but it has been an exciting few weeks at the Sports Centre with lots of new things happening.
Chalke Valley Sports Centre Facebook Page- Hit Like to follow us on our new Chalke Valley Sports Centre Facebook page where you can keep up to date with all our latest events, news & sports.
Friday Night Petanque Socials – We are still operating in a covid safe way, but Friday night Petanque has been an opportunity to get out, meet friends and try a new activity over a drink from the Sports Bar. A regular group of around 25 attended through June, meeting at 6.30pm-8.00pm (ish). We meet unless it is raining. Come and try it at no cost, all equipment is provided. If you enjoy the evening then all we ask is you spread the word and bring along the family and a friend on your next visit. A £2/session cost will apply if you become a regular. Under 16’s FOC. If you want to play competitively, we have a team that compete in the local Keystone Brewery League.
Summer BBQ’s are also being planned to extend the evening along with other ‘Garden Games’. We are looking for anyone that could donate a Garden Gas bottle as a reserve supply for the BBQ.
New Picnic Benches: We have invested in some specially branded Chalke Valley Sports Centre picnic benches to provide spectator and social areas for all the Centre’s activities.
Make Someone Welcome Campaign: In partnership with the Go Out Get Active Project we have pledged to make everyone welcome at the Sports Centre. If you have ever considered coming and seeing what activities are available but then thought ‘they are all going to be too good for me, I’ll just feel out of place’, then don’t worry, all our Clubs and activities have pledged to make you welcome.
You can either turn up on a Club evening; email the sports centre general email; or email one of the Committee or Club reps and we will be in touch and make sure you don’t feel out of place. All the information on activities and Club times are on our Facebook Page and Website. Come and join us, you will be made very welcome.
Getting Our Community Active Again Project: In recognition of the constraints we have been under as a consequence of Covid-19 and to encourage more people to get outdoors and take up a new sport or activity, we have developed a project to deliver a number of new activities for everyone. In June we had great news of a number of successful grant applications to help us deliver these:
Wiltshire Community Foundation: £2021 for basketball facilities.
Go Out Get Active: £1000 for equipment and additional support facilities.
Wiltshire and Swindon Sports Partnership: £2000 towards Pickleball courts.
Broad Chalke Community Fund: £200 towards the bench seating.
We would like to thank all the organisations for their support and for the funding provided. This will help to bring more opportunities for all sections of our community to take part.
We have plans for more facilities and are working on further grant applications! Keep in touch by following our FACEBOOK page.
Pickleball: Following receipt of the grants, we have now developed three outdoor Pickleball courts. This is a great sport for all ages and abilities, as well as it being played competitively. It’s an ideal introduction to tennis and is played on a small court (about the size of a badminton court) with a bat called a ‘paddle’ (like a large table tennis bat) with an air ball the size of a tennis ball.
The Moonrakers Pickleball Club have become affiliated to the Sports Centre and had their first Wednesday evening Club session in June. New members are welcome, and if you are not sure what it is all about why not come along with family and friends to the Come and Try It Open Evening: on Wednesday July 7th between 6.00pm- 8.00pm. All equipment provided.
The Sports Centre’s regular Programme of Club Activities includes tennis, cricket, table tennis, short mat bowls, football, pilates and yoga. Full details on our website and Facebook page.
Children’s Parties: In June we had our first covid secure children’s party hire. If you are looking for a great venue with lots of outdoor space get in touch through our general email.
The Laughing Aztecs: As we put this newsletter together we are in discussions to bring this outdoor Mobile Mexican food take-away service to the Sport Centre on Sunday evenings. More info to follow through our Facebook page.
May 17th saw a return to indoor activities after the recent lockdown and we are hopeful of a full return for all Clubs and activities from 21 June.
The Clubs AGM was held on 26 May. This was the first full Sports Centre meeting for 15 months, though still held across Zoom. Despite only limited opening possible for much of the year (mainly outdoor sports), there has been a great deal going on behind the scenes keeping the Centre maintained and ready to open as soon as allowed to do so and operating in a Covid safe manner.
PETANQUE OPEN EVENINGS: These were held in May to generate interest in this new facility at the Centre. A new Petanque Club is being formed for anyone that wishes to play regularly, visit other Petanque Clubs and generally have a bit of a social wrapped up around a ‘competitive’ game. This is part of the Keystone Brewery Petanque League.
Our aim is also to establish a regular social evening on a Friday throughout the summer, with a small bar and the possibility of adding other activities. Check the Centre website for more information but the next sessions will be Fridays June 4th and 11th from 6.30pm.
The Petanque Terrain is available for hire and casual use by everyone in the Chalke Valley. Under 18’s to be supervised by responsible adult. This operates on a ‘Honesty Donation basis’ at £5 an hour for a single rink (we have 3 rinks available) with own equipment. Full details are on the Centre website. We need to operate this way so that funds can continue to be raised to help maintain facilities, but it will be very much a trust basis with facility checks undertaken as part of the Centres normal operating arrangements.
If you are interested in getting more involved contact Nigel Tinkler nandnt@btinternet.com
PICKLEBALL: If the weather is on our side, the 15 June is a big day for the Centre with another new facilitybeing put in. We have been successful in securing grant funding from the GOGA Project (see later) and from the Wiltshire and Swindon Sports Partnership to put in two courts on the multi-use games area and to buy equipment and establish the Chalke Valley Sports Centre Moonrakers Pickleball Club. If you don’t know what Pickleball is (it is one of the fastest growing sports in America) it’s a racket sport played on a much smaller court with small ‘paddles’ and a hard plastic ‘air’ ball. It’s a great activity for adults of any age to get involved in a racket sport and brilliant for older people to enjoy at a less frantic pace than tennis.
For children, it is also the ideal starting point to be introduced to racket sports and progress on to tennis and squash. Dan Binns, our resident Tennis Coach, will be organising coaching sessions over the summer months (contact binnsdan@hotmail.com), and Moonrakers Pickleball Club will start Club sessions in June once the courts are in place Full details will appear on our website when we have got all the arrangements in place.
CRICKET: The Cricket Club have started matches again and a new game is the 100 ball Bash on a Tuesday evening. Come down and have a look…check our website for dates of matches.
TENNIS CLUB: The weekly mix-ins are Thursdays 6.00-8.00pm and Sundays 11-1pm for members. A lot of new faces this season (and a number of old!). Coaching for juniors has started on court Monday from 3.30pm and adults by appointment at other times (contact our coach binnsdan@hotmail.com direct to arrange). The dates for the Salisbury Sarum and Shaftesbury League matches have now been set so do let us know (tennis@mdodd.net) if you would like to be considered to play for the club
TABLE TENNIS: Sunday practice evenings, junior 6.30 to 7.30pm adults 7.45 to 10pm. There will also be a summer league this year as well.
Contact Thomasscard@gmail.com
SHORT MAT BOWLS: ESMBA are allowing club play to take place under ‘safe bowls status rules’. Up to six players per mat but with playing restrictions. Anyone wishing to play before resuming normally from 21 June please contact Damon Johns at ivonhouse@hotmail.co.uk
FOOTBALL: Now on their summer break, but if you are interested in finding out more contact Nigel Hayes at nmhayes@live.co.uk.
PILATES: Claudine’s Pilates classes recommenced in May on a Monday at 9.15am & 2pm. For more information, please contact Claudine on 07788 587937 or email at claudineblake@aol.com All abilities are welcome.
YOGA: Jordana’s regular Wednesday evening class has now moved back indoors Contact yogawithjordana@gmail.com for details.
YOGA: Caroline’s Tuesday morning yoga started up again in May at the usual time of 9.15 – 10.45am. All ages and abilities welcome. For further info contact Caroline on 01725 552209 or cj@wilkinsonyoga.co.uk
GOGA: The Go Out Get Active initiative is being run across the County and the Sports Centre is establishing partnership arrangements with the GOGA Team and the Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living to develop new activities to get people more active. More on this as things develop.
We are hoping that later this month we will be operating back to normal, AND we have some exciting new things happening.
AGM: This will take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 26 May. At this stage we are not sure if the meeting will be virtual or at the Sports Centre. Check the website for final details or contact one on the Committee.
PETANQUE OPEN EVENINGS: Anyone can come and have a go, equipment provided, and we are going to trial a small Bar service on these Fridays (bring your own drinking vessel…plastic please). Friday 21 May and Friday 28 May between 6.30pm and 8.00pm, weather permitting. The aim is then to get interest in a regular social evening on a Friday throughout the summer.
We have also entered the Keystone Brewery League for those that want to take a little more seriously. Details from Nigel Tinkler nandnt@btinternet.com
PICKLEBALL: Plans are progressing well to get this new activity started. At the time of writing a grant application is being put together to fund the cost of marking two courts and the purchase of equipment. Once we have these in place a new Club will be formed, details of which are currently being discussed. For more information contact Val Dolan at valdolan@hotmail.co.uk
CRICKET: With the Cricket Club starting up again after absence last summer we have applied for grant funding for practice net facilities. If successful, this will see the reintroduction of a cricket practice net by the new Petanque area. These will be available for Club practice but also for casual use when not booked out for other activity. Watch this space.
Hosting Duke of Edinburgh Award Expeditions: Following up on the successful hosting of this in April a further date is planned on 21 May so a small gathering of tents will appear on the sports field.
Tennis Club
The weekly mix-ins are Thursdays 6.00-8.00pm and Sundays 11-1pm for members. A lot of new faces this season (and a number of old!). Coaching for juniors has started on court Monday from 3.30pm and adults by appointment at other times (contact our coach binnsdan@hotmail.com direct to arrange). The dates for the Salisbury Sarum and Shaftesbury League matches have now been set so do let us know (tennis@mdodd.net) if you would like to be considered to play for the club
Table Tennis
The plan for May is to open practice nights again throughout the week, containing a total of 6 players in the hall at one time. For June/July the hope is the club will be able to open fully.
Indoor Bowls
Due to resume from 21 June.
Football
The Youth team have started playing again with an FA approved extension until the end of June.
Pilates: Fingers crossed, Claudine’s classes will restart from Monday 17th May in accordance with the government roadmap for indoor exercise classes.
Yoga: Jordana’s regular Wednesday evening class have been taking place outside for a sunset yoga. Contact yogawithjordana@gmail.com for details.
YOGA: Caroline’s Tuesday morning yoga will begin again on the 18th May at the usual time of 9.15 – 10.45am. All ages and abilities welcome. For further info contact Caroline on 01725 552209 or cj@wilkinsonyoga.co.uk wilkinsonyoga.co.uk
Following changes in Government guidance the Executive Committee can confirm that the Centre is now open for ourdoor activity with immediate effect. This decision will be reviewed as and when Government advice changes. COVID secure measure are in place for the use of the indoor facilites.
Should you wish to have a game of Petanque on our new terrain you maybe wondering what the actual rules are before you start. Please take a look at the information below showing the basic playing rules, scoring and player numbers.
With the completion of the new Petanque terrain at the Sports Centre it’s hoped this social fun game can become a welcome addition to the recreational sport scene in the Chalke Valley. Keep an eye on the Broadsheet and the Events page of this website for news on when and how you can take part in the comming months.
