Last year the Council was awarded £100,000 from the Virgin London Marathon Charitable Trust for the creation of an urban beach sports venue in Drapers Field.  In January this year the Council issued its Waltham Forest Core Strategy document http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/ldf-preferred-options-summary-document.pdf see page 8.

This document outlined the Council’s vision for the future – see this extract: 

Preferred Options Core Strategy January 2010

3.11 Our residents have convenient access to some of the best sporting and leisure facilities in the world, thanks to the legacy of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. People are fit, healthy and enjoy life. As a result of the success of the 2012 Olympics, Waltham Forest now forms part of a centre for national sporting excellence. The Drapers Field Urban Beach now acts as the UK’s main centre for beach volleyball–having hosted the hugely successful 2025 Beach Volleyball World Cup.

What has happened to the £100,000 and what has happened to the planned visionary beach volley ball area on Drapers Field?  A niche sport that could put Leyton on the map. The Council having agreed last year to defend its sports pitches and leisure areas is in fact going to give it over to the Olympic Authority to tarmac over and use it to store provisions or, if the rumour is correct, turn it into a car park. 

So much for the ethos of the Olympics in encouraging youngsters to participate in sports. If you would like to help in our campaign to keep Drapers Field, then please sign our on-line petition at:   http://ourcampaign.org.uk/DrapersField

The Olympic Authority and the Council are going to hold a drop in meeting at Drapers Field on Monday 13th September 6.00pm to 8.00pm.  It will be held in the Sport England pavillion next to the astro turf pitch. 

Apparently the Olympic Authority/Council will explain what they intend to do with Drapers Field when they close it down from September 2011 to December 2012.

Secret meeting –  This initial meeting has only been notified to the residents around Drapers Field.  They obviously believe that only local residents are concerned about the loss of the only sports and leisure facility in the area.  We have only found out by local residents telephoning us.

MAKE YOUR VIEWS KNOWN – If you are concerned about what is being planned for Drapers Field then please go to the meeting and make your views known.

17 million people already affected… 

Flood waters are still rising in Pakistan; the area covered to date is larger than the UK. These are the worst floods in many decades, they began a month ago with the rain hammering the country’s northwest region, over 1,600 people have died and the floods are affecting over 17 million people with 1.2 million houses being destroyed, leaving an estimated 8 million people homeless. The waters are now spreading through the rice-growing belt in Sindh province, 4.25 million acres of land and crops have been destroyed or extensively damaged. The scale of the disaster is overtaking the relief efforts and more aid is needed urgently to help the millions of people affected.Please donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Pakistan Floods Appeal by clicking here or by phone on 0370 60 60 900.

When notified that the Council is negotiating to lease Drapers Field to the Olympic Authority for a year and a half, Sport England, the body concerned with encouraging sporting activities across England, were concerned that Leyton would lose its valuable sports area before and during the Olympics.

Only ten years ago the National Lottery Sports Fund awarded nearly a million pounds to build the all weather sports pitch and changing rooms.  This along with another £500,000 from the Council made Drapers Field a valuable sports and leisure facility for local people.  Another £132,000 was spent on the Drama and Music Centre.

To tarmac or concrete over this for use by the Olympic Authority for an Olympic Village holding area for provisions, or a rumoured car park, will be a disaster for local people, schools and sports clubs.  Over 9,000 people a month use Drapers Field, making it one of the best used sports facilities in the borough. 

Cllr. Bob Sullivan is due to meet representitives of Sport England to discuss the loss of Drapers Field and who may be able to stop the Labour councillors hare-brained scheme.

An update from the meeting will follow soon.

If you would like to help in our campaign to keep Drapers Field, then please sign our on-line petition at:   http://ourcampaign.org.uk/DrapersField

If you live in Leyton Ward you will have had this delivered free to your door by local people, but if you have not seen it then click on this :  Leyton Focus Newsletter No 321

If you would like to help us in delivering Focus in your road or area then give me – Bob Sullivan – a ring on 0202 8556 8335

The Focus Team is trying to get a ‘No Through Road’ sign put up at the entrance to Crescent Road, off Church Road, as large lorries attempt to use it as a cut through, only to find it difficult to turn round when they realise it is a cul-de-sac.

The Team is also trying to get a new sign for Goldsmith Road, at the junction with Park Road, as the sign appears to have been taken.