I WRITE in response to the letter from D Smith regarding the Lydbrook Recreation Ground and the retaining wall between the football pitch and the Old Methodist Chapel.
As local residents will know, when the old retaining wall collapsed in 2000, it demolished the boundary wall of Old Methodist Chapel and completely blocked the path to the old well that once supplied drinking water to that part of the village.
Eventually, after much wrangling, the insurance company agreed to partly fund a replacement wall of gabion basket construction, but not the full height of the original wall. This has been constructed, but the ground now slopes at the top of the wall resulting in a loss of several metres to the length of the football pitch.
It is the intention of the Memorial Hall and Recreation Ground management committee to add to the wall to restore its original height and restore the football pitch to the original length.
This is being made possible through the generosity of a number of local individuals and companies. Our thanks go to Mr Lorne Henry of the Old Methodist Chapel for a generous cash donation towards the cost of the gabion baskets, Clearwell and Stow Quarry for the donation of 100 tonnes of stone and to Mervin Freeman Civil Engineers for transporting the stone to the recreation ground.
Once the football season is over, it is hoped to complete the work with voluntary labour. The wall will be completed to the specification of the consulting engineer who oversaw the work thus far. When finished, public access to all parts of the Recreation Ground and adjoining paths can be safely restored.
It is a pity that this shining example of community endeavour has been hampered by some selfish individuals, including youths who have all but demolished the temporary safety fence at the top of the wall, people who have abandoned untaxed vehicles on the recreation ground, and not least by wagging tongues that are quick to ascribe shady motives to those who are only trying to resolve the situation. – Bruce Hogan, treasurer, Lydbrook Memorial Hall and Recreation Ground Management Committee.