Update from APFT trustees

The Ashes has been a place of great solace to the people of Howden over the years, and in this time of national crisis we hope it can continue to be. We are having to make adjustments following the Government lockdown advice announced by the Prime Minister on Monday evening.

As a result the playpark, multi-use games area (MUGA) and car park at the Ashes have been closed until further notice.

We have taken these steps to meet Government advice plus to protect our staff, volunteers and users. The park remains open and with the latest advice that it is safe to go out for exercise once a day – moderate exercise boosts your immune system – we have one of the safest places to do so. But please follow the rules on social distancing. We know these are always changing and it can be hard to keep up, but please keep a couple of metres away from other people and take extra precautions such as avoiding touching surfaces, carrying hand sanitiser where possible and washing your hands frequently.

We had hoped to put on a great outdoor cinema event in May to kick-off the Vintage Weekend, but with the whole weekend event postponed for 2020 that will no longer happen. We will look to hold our part of that event later in the year, if it is safe to do so. Trustees will also review our annual Picnic In The Park which is scheduled for June – we’ll only hold that if it’s safe. We will all be ready for a celebration by then, and it’ll be a vital help for local small businesses. Trustees remain in regular contact about the park and what steps we need to take to ensure everyone’s safety.

Although we can count on fantastic support from people like Howden Town Council and other grants-giving bodies, there is no doubt this will affect our budgeted revenue fundraising at this time. As part of the Howden community right now please keep supporting our local businesses, they need your patronage and backing, but if you are ordering some food online for the first time or using time at home to review things like insurance or mobile phone contracts please consider signing up for EasyFundraising and using that – it costs you nothing more, but they give us a percentage of your spend. That will all help us maintain and develop the park once this is all over. The link is below

https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/howdenashes/

We hope use of our park can continue to help the people of Howden during this time, providing a valuable resource and comfort. Even if you feel and look healthy, you could be infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus so please take precautions and only go out when necessary.

APFT trustees