Out & About July 2017

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Prams in the park
Me in Victoria Park in 1977. As a small
child I lived in Thatcham, but was taken
to Victoria Park quite a lot to feed the
swans on the canal.
Steve Burrow
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Left: Having been born in Albert Road, in 1945, the proximity of the park meant
almost daily visits in my pram and an ideal spot to walk the dog.
Top two photos show me at 15 months (1946) with dog, Mick, in the right one, and
below is a group photo, c1955, of me sitting with grandfather and an aunt and uncle,
who were visiting from Durham. I had been floating the boat you can see in front of
me.You can just see the anti-tank blocks behind the slide Peter Jopling
Brian Antony Purton visits the park, 1940
Left:Tony Mosson with his sister, in the late
1940s, playing in the stream, which ran from
the towpath to the Queen Victoria statue
OA feature
Victoria Park has undergone an extensive
refurbishment recently of the tennis courts,
bowling green, football pitch and the pathways
have all been repaired and resurfaced to a high
standard. The Park Way wall and railings have
been extensively repaired and rebuilt.
BOWLS CLUB
The removal of the fir trees surrounding the
bowls club has enabled visitors to the park to
enjoy watching matches and the bowls club are
happy to welcome new members.
TENNIS COURTS
The Council has created a partnership with the
Community Tennis Association who provide
classes for children and adults of all abilities.
You can book courts online and a whole family
can join as members of the Tennis Courts for just
£36 a year and can play as much as they like!
Later this year we will be installing court lighting
to help maximise the use of the courts.
SPLASH PARK
Opened last year and is one of the most popular
areas within the park for young children and
toddlers to play.
THE SKATEPARK
The Skatepark continues to be very popular,
offering great challenges for skateboarders and
BMXers. You can also try out our impressive
range of outdoor gym equipment to help to
improve your fitness and wellbeing.
FUTURE PLANS
Plans are in place to build a new café to replace
the old kiosk, offering full catering facilities,
indoor and outdoor seating and tables, toilets
and Wifi throughout the year.
In addition to this we propose to build a new
sports changing room facility adjacent to the
tennis courts with terrace seating for spectators
to watch tennis games and competitions.
Victoria Park remains the jewel in Newbury’s
crown and following the extensive repairs and
improvements will continue to be a popular place
to visit and enjoy the facilities way into the future.
For more information:
or 01635 35486
VICTORIA PARK