So many people use the village recreation ground from small children in the playground to dog walkers to those enjoying a cup of tea and piece of cake in the summer cafe. It's truly one of the joys of living in Speldhurst.

The Rec belongs to a Trust for the benefit of the village: it was donated by Edwin King in 1924. Since it is not owned by the Borough or Parish, they don't maintain it - the Rec survives on funds generated by the village fete and contributions from the various sports clubs that use it. Each year the Rec needs to find the money to mow the grass, keep the trees safe, cut the hedges and buy dog poo bags. Every year all this costs some £8,000.

There hasn't been a fete for two years because of Covid 19. We want to make sure the Rec will continue to be available for everybody in the village for the next 100 years too. This means finding new ways of raising the funds to run it. The suggestion for the future is simple: people in the village as well as other users of the Rec make an annual donation towards its running costs. When the fete returns, we can use the new funds for one-off projects such as the replacement of the slide in the playground, new playground or MUGA equipment, or improvements to the pavilion, boundary and ground.

We hope each household could contribute £20 a year.

We know there will be those who can't afford this, as well as those who can afford more: please give what you can.