Public Places
There is a city farm for children to enjoy
“Our hire-out programme for the surface is going through the roof because we can now stage so much more sport than before - and, crucially, we can increase revenue significantly for the charity”
A new 15mm rubber shockpad was laid over the existing base
involvement may attract more funding.” Naz’s role in the future prosperity of Coram’s Field is pivotal though, as he is blessed with a gift for energising young people to take up sport. Schools are increasingly using the site under planned programmes, especially so since a new floodlit 3G synthetic playing area, marked out as three pitches, came into play in the autumn.
“Activity has risen dramatically now we have the new pitch,” says Noel, whose team has the task of maintaining the surface to standards that can support what Naz predicts will be a huge influx of use among people of all ages.
“More work for you,” I suggest. “Yes, but that’s a good problem to have,” says Noel.
Naz continues: “Yes, our hire-out programme for the surface is going through the roof because we can now stage so much more sport than before - and, crucially, we can increase revenue significantly for the charity - with programming seven days a week, dawn ’til dusk - as it is the only source of income; all other children and young people’s services at Coram’s Fields are free.’
All of Coram’s Fields facilities are free 92 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014
We walk outside to view a surface littered with the distinctive leaves of the London plane tree. “They surround the site,” says Noel, “and are one of the highlights of the city’s streets, but they make our work that much more difficult at this time of year. We have about fifty around the site. They are high maintenance and all of them carry TPOs [Tree Protection Orders]. We mainly lift branches so they do not overhang the pitch too much and remove ones that have died because of Masari, a disease of London plane, which dries up the insides. It’s a lingering problem that I don’t believe has a cure. Our arboriculturalist visits us every three months to check on things
and advise us.”
The sand and rubber crumb infill surface, part-funded by Sport England, can be marked out for several modes of football, including 5 and 7-a-side and rugby, and replaces the existing synthetic pitch that was no longer fit for purpose. “The first pitch here was a cinder one,” Noel notes. Ouch! “Sport England ploughed in some £200,000 into the project,” Naz confirms, “whilst The Marathon Trust [which dissipates funding from the proceeds of the London event] gave £100,000 and Camden Council £50,000. We therefore are committed to heighten community use of the facility. We provide free PE and after school pitch hire for all of Camden’s schools, for example.”
The surface is manufactured from the same yarn used for the pitch laid at Aviva Premiership rugby union national champions, Saracens, earlier in 2013. It is said to be extremely resilient and player friendly, carrying minimal risk of skin burns and abrasions. The existing engineered base laid beneath the old synthetic area was sound, but a new 15mm rubber shockpad has replaced the earlier one.
Improvements to the perimeter fencing have been completed - extending the height to 8m where necessary, replacing half the 3m high surround and fitting low-level duo-mesh rigid panelling, with soft netting above it.
Under a contractual agreement, the pitch will be monitored and inspected for twelve months, which will include a deep, vigorous brush every three months on top of the basic weekly maintenance to self-level the crumb, carried out by Noel’s team utilising a John Deere X300 tractor and dragbrush supplied under, what is said to have been, a £385,000 deal.
“We wanted to improve the quality of
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