Legacy hope for sports

Ollerton Sports Forum believes there may be a covenant on the town’s Walesby Lane pitches that could protect them from development.

The group met last week to discuss their next step following the demolition of the Miners’ Welfare building, which has left the future of the pitches and the clubs that play there uncertain.

The group’s secretary, Mrs Irene Miller, said she thought there could be a covenant dating back to when the pitches were funded from miners’ wages.

From 1923 onwards, miners had money taken from their wages to fund the welfare facilities and Mrs Miller said it was only right that they remained as a legacy to the town.

Mrs Miller said: “We think there may be a covenant stating that they must be kept as sports facilities for the town, so we are looking into that.

“Let’s not forget that miners paid from their own pay packet for years for these recreational facilities as part of the miners’ welfare system.”

Mrs Miiller thought every town had to have a certain amount of land for sports and recreation, and that Ollerton would be left with none should the Welfare facilities be lost for housing or to other development.

The sports forum is being supported in its efforts to secure the future of the pitches by the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation, which helps former mining communities.

However, Mrs Miller said the situation was still in a state of flux.

“For the time being, all organisations are managing to keep their heads above water financially, including the football, cricket and bowls clubs, but at the moment we are just hoping that next season things can carry on as they are,” she said.

“It is still a case of wait and see. We have another meeting in October where we hope to be able to make some progress.

“The fact that things are still ticking along as normal at the moment is down purely to the tenacity of the people who run the clubs. It is like a black cloud hanging over everyone.”

Ollerton Bowls Club has launched a petition calling for greens to remain at the site, which has already been signed by hundreds of people.

The land is currently in the hands of administrators Auker Rhodes.