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Leisure

As provision for leisure, Bishop's Castle Town Council owns the Playing Fields between Union Street and Kerry Lane and the Old Market Place at the top of town. It leases land from the district and county councils at Crowgate Business Park to provide a bike track. The council also provides the most of the many seats and benches in town and around the parish.

The Playing Fields

The Playing Fields include a children's play area, swings for older children and a skatepark as well as grassed and garden areas.
The Friends of the Playing Fields, a local voluntary group, raised funds to completely refurbish and renovate the area on the early 2000s with the support of the Town Council. The Bishop's Castle Skateboard Association has also raised considerable sums to establish the skatepark on the Playing Fields and is still working to complete it. The town council is committed to maintaining the grassed area, the gardens and the equipment.

The play area is surrounded by a wicket fence with a castle like entrance and good use is made the natural slope of the land.
The Long Mynd and the roof tops of the town can be seen in the distance from the top of the play area.
The play area is surrounded by mature trees.

The surface of the new skatepark can be seen.

Gardener and TV personality Charlie Dimmock visited the town to launch the project.She planted a flowering cherry.

The Friends of the Playing field committee with the mayor at the time and representatives of two of the major funders, Doorstep Greens &

This garden was provide with money from the Friends of Stonehouse, a hospital and old persons home in the town. It is designed to be secluded with scented climbing plants and shrubs

Anthony Jones and his team who built the surrounding oak fence with the castle- like entrance.

The team also built the stage, which is used at local events on the playing field. Underneath it is a shelter.

The Skatepark

In July 2007, with the help of grants from the Local Network Fund and Community First. Bishops Castle Skateboarders Association installed two large steel framed ramps (a quarter pipe and a flatbank) on the new skatepark on the Playing Field. The final ramp to be put in place is currently under construction by volunteers from within the community of Bishops Castle.

The work has mainly been taking place in the Design-Technology workshops at the Community College, however it is now too large for the workshop and can only be worked on outside in the Deliveries Yard ! Two week long workshops took place during last year's summer holidays at the Community College; altogether 300 hours of voluntary work have gone into the construction of the ramp.

Two adults and twelve young people, including skaters and young engineers, varying in age between 12-20 years old, have been helping since the project started.
Adult volunteers: Fiona Robertson (Carpentry and Secretary of BCSA) and Richard Vaughn (Young Engineers Coordinator).
Young Volunteers: Derw Robertson-Jacobs, Valentine Kuhl, Joe Plant, Josh Plant, Piers Limberg, Ben Rowse, Tom Jones, Tom Baylis, Jesse Rowland, Patrick Hudon, Robert Anthony, Joseph Sheperdson, Kieran Gardner.

Expenditure on the wooden ramp was in the region of only £2000 thanks to the high level of voluntary input. This is a wooden ramp which will eventually be replaced by a steel framed one, once an additional £12,000 has been raised. The wooden ramp was installed onsite at the end of August/early September.

The Bishops Castle Skateboarders Association would like to thank Bishops Castle Building Supplies for supplying us with generously discounted timber, Castlewood Joinery for helping out with the timber machining, and the Community College, Bishops Castle for providing us with the appropriate working space. We would also like to thank all of the volunteers and everyone involved for their support including the Town Council.

Bishop's Castle Bike Track is a large area of rough ground in the corner of Crowgate Business Park on the far side of the A488 opposite Brick Meadow. A considerable amount of volunteer effort and discounting by local suppliers made it possible for the bikers to fence the area, bring top soil to the ground, layout the site and install a "shed" for tools. The Town Council has this year budgeted for ongoing maintenance of the site.

The Old Market Place at the top of town was renovated in the 1990s and now has disabled access. It is a popular picnic area with benches (and bins for the rubbish!) and is well used throughout the year but particularly at times of festivals and events.

SpArC. the Bishop's Castle sports and leisure centre, is at present run by South Shropshire District Council. It is at the A488/B4368 junction and includes a swimming pool, fitness centre, squash courts, sports hall and theatre. For opening times and charges of the sports facilities contact: (01588) 630243 or www.southshropshire.gov.uk/leisure

SpArC Theatre. A 135 seater, purpose built auditorium, fully accessible and with on site parking available. The adjoining foyer and refreshment area is licensed to sell alcohol. The current season of evening productions includes internationally toured drama, dance, a wildlife presentation and a physical performance and runs from February to the end of April. Alongside the live theatre is SpArC Screen, showing in the late afternoon popular films suitable teenagers and a Decks and VJing live set. The theatre facilities are also regularly hired by groups including dance, exercise, workshops, drama, conferences and training sessions. For ticket reservations and enquiries: contact (01588) 630321 from 10.00am to 9.00pm weekdays and 10.am to12 pm at weekend. To be kept in touch about events at SpArC send your e-mail address to Anne-Marie Jackson at annemarie@castlecommunityleisure.org.uk and you will be included on the SpArC mailing list.

Sport. Most other sports are catered for in Bishop's Castle with adult and youth participation. See below for contacts.

Football: Grant Perry grant.perry@btconnect.com

Cricket: Richard Whateley richard.whately@btinternet.com

Tennis: William Croom Johnson willcj@tiscali.co.uk
www.bishops-castle-lawn-tennis-club.btik.com

Badminton: Gill Lucas gill@theporchhouse.com

Hockey (women's): Heather Ashton (01588) 638818.

   

 

 

 

Contact the Town Clerk
email: townclerk@bishopscastle.co.uk

Telephone: 01588 638141

by post: The Town Hall,
Bishops Castle
Shropshire
SY9 5BG