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2 Apr 2009 - Lower Road Rec Pavilion Fire

Tuesday 1^st April 2009 proved a dismal day for Bookham Colts when Nick Bullen phoned me to report that the pavilion at Lower Road Rec had been burnt down during the night.

Police investigators have established that the pavilion was forcibly broken into and a fire deliberately started around the doorway to the kitchen. A front door left open by the arsonists allowed air to be funnelled into the home changing room area where the fire temperature built up to around 800 degrees, at which point the fire blew a hole in the roof.

Firemen worked hard to extinguish the fire which left the pavilion in complete ruin with water flowing freely from the rising main and dangerously exposed live electrical wiring to be dealt with.

MVDC acted swiftly, calling in the Water Board and Electricians to sever supplies and make safe.

The Council have also erected barrier fencing around the site to stop anyone from gaining entry, as the structure is unsafe and hazardous underfoot.

Upon inspection, Nick Bullen, Neil Pudney and I have established that much of the equipment in the store, although not burnt, is smoke damaged. Unfortunately, this includes the goals, which are severely discoloured and probably won’t wash off.

The sit-on lawnmower is no more, as are the portable lights, line markers and BBQ

So, new equipment shall have to be purchased at some point and I shall be venturing where we stand with the insurance.

So, where does that leave Bookham Colts?
Lower Road is our main 11-a-side venue and we enjoy the facility of the pavilion on a weekly basis throughout the year. Without it, we cannot store equipment, have access to toilets, changing or kitchen facilities.

In The Short Term:

Equipment wise, we have no goals that are usable and nowhere to store them even if they were.

Bob Elcomb and Paul Chapman of the Seniors have offered their support. They have portable goals up at Chrystie Rec which we can borrow. But they need to be dismantled and stored securely at Lower Road Rec. To this end, we have obtained permission from the Council to temporarily house a steel container behind the pavilion away from the road.

We shall be taking immediate steps to try and do this. But we have to be careful not to damage Pitch 1 in the process. Hence we have a challenge on our hands.

In the meantime, 11-a-side matches this weekend for the U12s and U14s shall be played at Christie. Again, thanks to the Seniors for facilitating this.

Fortunately, Easter is the following weekend, which gives us a little more leeway to sort matters out.

As we move into longer hours of daylight, training can be conducted at Lower Road Rec as usual.

Eddie Robinson of Horsley FC has also very kindly offered his clubs support. So, we could ask for use of their grass if need be.

In The Long Term:

It is the intention of the Council to rebuild the pavilion after the insurance has been settled.

However, I have been warned that this could all take some while and may very well not be completed by the start of next season.

I shall engage with the Council regarding the type and design of the new pavilion to see if we can improve upon what was previously there.

Everyone I have spoken to has condemned the mindless actions the criminals who conducted this act of arson. Although the pavilion has been a target for minor acts amounts of vandalism in the past, this is a very different matter. Police are investigating the case and those Managers who use Lower Road Rec as a venue may receive a call from them as part of their routine investigations. Let’s hope that the police are successful in their work.

Finally, please inform other clubs who engage you on the subject that it does not affect our tournament.

Regards

Jeff Potts

Chairman