Keynsham councillor Alan Hale pitches in again for football festival
As a 13-year-old boy, Alan Hale helped to organised a petition to get a proper football pitch at his local park.
Now, 53 years on, Mr Hale has come up with the funding for a football festival at the site.
The Keynsham councillor has provided £600 to help put on the children's football during the first week of the Easter holidays.
The money has come from his individual ward councillor's budget for an event aimed at encouraging youngsters, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to get involved in healthy sporting activity.
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The event is taking place at Kelston Road park football pitch, which was created in 1960 after Mr Hale and his friends on the Park Estate organised a petition directed at the then Keynsham Urban District Council.
A short time later the council agreed to erect goalposts on the playing field.
Mr Hale (Con, Keynsham South) said: "I was clearly a bit of a community activist even all those years ago. We began the petition calling for a football pitch to be created because we were continually being chased out of the council house garage compounds for playing football and causing a too much noise.
"After we had collected the signatures I went with my dad to the council offices on the Wellsway, where I presented the petition. The park and pitch have been there ever since."
He added: "The fact I had some involvement in getting the football pitch installed all those years ago makes it all the more gratifying to be able to lend my support to this football festival. I hope it's a really successful event, and I would encourage as many local children and families to get involved as possible."
For further information about the event, email keyn shamjoe@hotmail.co.uk.
Comments
by Wilts_Driver
Saturday, March 16 2013, 10:42AM
“Well done to Alan for giving youngsters the opportunity to take part in some organised sport. Keep the youngsters occupied with something interesting, and it helps to keep them out of trouble!”