Friends of Ancells Farm

Sunday March 11th, 7.30pm

The quiz will start at 8pm, but get there early to secure your seat. Come and pit your wits against your neighbours! The cost is £2 per person and there is a maximum of six people per team.

There is a hamper for the winning team, plus other prizes too including Sunday lunch for four people, with a bottle of wine, courtesy of the Falkner's.

In order to help the pub with numbers, please email committee@ancellsfarm.org.uk by 4th March if you plan on coming along.

We've been listening to feedback from our members and we agree that there is a gap in our play park for equipment for 4-7 year olds.

We have agreed with Fleet Town Council that we can donate two items of equipment for installation in the park and fundraising is progressing well. We're looking to provide a medium sized climbing frame with a slide and also a 'trim trail'.

We need to raise £9,000 to secure both pieces of equipment and so far we've raised nearly £6,000! This means that we are close to installing the new climbing frame & slide and have made a good start towards the trim trail too.

The Friends of Ancells Farm committee will be holding our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday 27th February, 7.30pm at the Ancells Farm Community Centre, and afterwards at The Falkners Arms. All are welcome.

Friends of Ancells Farm is a small community group with big ideas. The 2011 has been fantastic for the ‘Friends of’ group which has more than 100 households on the estate as members.

There is now an amazing park for the over eights and the under fives on the estate and both parks are already proving extremely popular.

The group believes it now has a good, strong, solid voice with which to lobby Fleet Town and Hart District Councils and continue to ensure that Ancells remains a safe, happy and fun place to live.

Whilst the parks are fantastic, the campaigning is far from over. The community group’s next aim is to get the tired and unused pavilion up and running again. The council has indicated that it wants to see this so the group has vowed to lobby hard to ensure things get moving.

The Friends are also compiling a ‘wish list’ and encourage people to comment on what they would like to see on Ancells. Some of the suggestions so far include a ‘green gym’ which is adult/teen exercise equipment dotted around the estate for runners, more play equipment at the park catering for different ages, a multi use games area for basketball practice/football, a sandpit, orienteering, nature trail and designated dog toilets.

Looking beyond the park and further into Ancells Farm, the group has been discussing holding an Olympic street party, setting up a ladies running club, offering boot camp exercises, organising an annual fun day, getting speed cameras on Ancells Road, setting up a youth club and creating community allotments and quiet areas to sit and relax.

The group knows what can be achieved if people work together – 420 tree saplings and hedges have been planted around the park, youth football teams are back using the sports pitch, and there is a super new park for children.

To get involved and have your say visit become a member of the ‘Friends of’ group for £5 a year per household.