What the Fairfield Association has done:

1. Fairfield Green

Saving the site

This was the issue which led to the formation of the Fairfield Association, and it became the Association's first project. There had been a children’s play area on part of the Fairfield Green site for nearly 100 years, but in 1996 a local developer bought some derelict garages next to the Green, and applied to the site owners, the City Council, to buy part of the play area as well, in order to build new housing. At first the Council supported his proposal.  The community, however, was very unhappy at the prospect of losing the amenity and the Fairfield Association was formed. We offered a new solution: to raise the money ourselves to buy the garages and the land they stood on, have them demolished and use the site to extend the Green.

During 1996-97 we raised around £45,000 for this project, in which we -

• bought the garages, had them demolished and removed their concrete base
• landscaped the garage area and integrated it into Fairfield Green
• installed a hedge, with a protecting fence along the bottom of the Green
• installed a wood-bark safety surface under the play equipment
• planted trees and low-growing shrubs to improve the appearance of the play area
• provided four benches for people to sit on.

The City Council, who after initial opposition became very supportive of our efforts, provided around £15,000 of the total funding and constructed a new tarmac path (costing some £9,000 and replacing a muddy and awkward footpath along the side of the Green), which means that more people have access to the area, particularly those who have difficulty in walking or are partially sighted.

Improving the site

Despite this success, we realised that the play equipment on the Green was old-fashioned, limited and run-down. Although we lobbied the City Council for improvements, it soon became clear that very little funding would be available from the Council. So in 2001 we decided to seek funding of our own, and launched a new project to upgrade the equipment, with special emphasis on extending the range to cater for older children. We drew up a design brief, and three suppliers submitted proposals. A public consultation was held in February 2003, and the scheme from 'Playdales' came out as the firm favourite amongst residents who attended. We then submitted a Lottery Community Fund bid for £81,000, plus a bid for a further £10,000 to the City Council’s Single Regeneration Budget (SRB). These bids were accepted in November 2003, and the work to upgrade the play area was carried out during 2004. The Association would also like to thank CfBT (the parent company of Westbourne House Nursery) for their financial support.

Fending off the VAT Man

We took advice on the tax position from ‘the VAT Man’ (HM Customs and Excise) before we submitted our Lottery bid, and we were told that we would not be liable for any Value Added Tax (VAT) on the work. After the work had started, we learned that we had been given the wrong advice, and that we would have to find an extra £xx,000 to cover the VAT. Not surprisingly, there was outrage in the community, even though we immediately set about fundraising. However, we got excellent support from the local press and politicians, and although Customs and Excise could not change the law, they agreed in June 2004 to make an ‘ex gratia payment’ of the sum we owed ‘in recognition of the fact that the Association was wrongly informed by our National Advice Service’. Sighs of relief all round!

And finally …

Although the City Council has agreed to maintain the Green, and includes the equipment in its inspection rotas, we also tidy up and we check the equipment on a regular basis. Unlike all the other play areas in Lancaster, this one is privately owned and managed by the community, and as the owners the Fairfield Association has legal responsibility: we also pay for insurance. It is local people who started and carried through the process of improvement, contributed ideas and participated in fundraising events, and who take day-to-day responsibility for making sure the Green is clean, tidy and safe.

2. The Fairfield Millennium Green and Community Orchard

The Fairfield Millennium Orchard project was initiated in 1999 by the Fairfield Association and another local charity, Lancaster Green Spaces. The Fairfield Association submitted a bid for National Lottery funding under the Millennium Greens scheme to establish a public-access orchard and green space on land that was at that time part of an agricultural lease from the City Council, but which was unused by the lessee and was basically waste ground.

After an initial public consultation exercise (held in January 1999 at the Friends' Meeting House), we were successful in our bid for £75,000. Half of this was matching funding raised by the Fairfield Association itself, with help from the City Council, which donated the land on a long lease at a peppercorn rent; from local volunteers who contributed many hours of labour in clearing the land and planting trees; the Probation Service, which provided labour for putting in the paths; and other local grant-giving bodies. The terms of the award were that a separate charitable Trust be formed to administer the Millennium Green, and this Trust, comprising six members (two members of the Fairfield Association, one from Lancaster Green Spaces, two members of the local community and the sitting ward councillor) was established by Trust Deed in 2000.

The Trust meets regularly to agree and review policy, to administer funding and when necessary to raise additional funding. An AGM is held annually at which the annual audited accounts are presented. The AGM is open to all members of the public.

Maintenance is carried out by volunteer work parties, held on Saturday mornings (for upcoming dates and further details please see What's On), to which all are welcome, whatever your skills and experience. A new management plan is being developed to guide the work parties and as a basis for future funding applications.

The Orchard is a free amenity for all to use, whether for walking, picnics, fruit-picking or just enjoying the surroundings.

3. FAUNA (Fairfield Association Urban Nature Area) - Proposed

Our newest project is a proposal for an 'urban nature reserve' in a beautiful and unspoiled area of farmland, which lies adjacent to the Millennium Orchard and very close to Fairfield Green. For details please follow the link to FAUNA.