National Playing Fields Association

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The National Playing Fields Association (NPFA), also known from 2007 as Fields in Trust (FIT), was founded in 1925 and granted a Royal Charter in 1933. It is a British charity^[1] which aims to protect and promote sports and recreation open space in British cities and towns.

Apart from its tireless campaigning to protect playing fields and open space, the NPFA is best known for its 'Six Acre Standard'. It is the owner of the King George's Fields^[2], 471 public recreation grounds set up as a memorial to King George V and transferred to NPFA ownership after acquisition.

Contents 1 History and Objectives of the NPFA[3] 1.1 Introduction 1.2 NPFA Objectives 1.3 The NPFA Land Holding 1.4 Conclusion 2 Six Acre Standard 3 See also 4 Notes 5 External links

[edit] History and Objectives of the NPFA^[3]

[edit] Introduction

The National Playing Fields Association (NPFA) is the only national (United Kingdom) organisation dedicated to the provision of recreational space. It has the specific objective of acquiring, protecting and improving playing fields, playgrounds and playspace where they are most needed, and for those who need them most – in particular, children of all ages and people with disabilities.

The NPFA was set up in 1925 by Brigadier-General Reginald Kentish to provide healthy recreation opportunities for local communities throughout the United Kingdom. It protects and develops playing fields and play areas and it campaigns nationally for community recreational space.

The organisation was founded by His Royal Highness The Duke of York (later King George V) who was the first President. This royal link continues today with Her Majesty The Queen as the National Playing Fields Association’s Patron and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh who has been the NPFA’s President since 1948.

The NPFA is a charity incorporated by Royal Charter on 18 January, 1933. The Charity’s affairs are conducted through its Council which meets quarterly to set the policy of the Association and to oversee its work. However, the NPFA is also linked to many bodies and membership of the organisation includes local authorities, individuals, playing field associations, schools and sports clubs.

At present, the NPFA is the sole Trustee of the King George’s Fields Foundation (KGFF). The Foundation was established as a Memorial to the Late King George V by Trust Deed on the 3 November, 1936. The objects of the Trust were "to promote and to assist in the establishment throughout the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland of Playing Fields for the use and enjoyment of the people every such Playing Field to be styled ‘King George’s Field’ and to be distinguished by heraldic panels or other appropriate tablet medallion or inscription commemorative of the King."

The Trust defined a playing field as‘any open space used for the purpose of outdoor games, sports and pastimes’.

These playing fields have their origins in the appeal launched shortly after the death of the Late Sovereign in March 1936. Rather than finance the entire cost of a few schemes, grants were given towards the cost of as many fields as possible, the balance of the cost being raised by the local authority or other organisation providing the field and accepting responsibility for its maintenance. In most cases, the responsible body entered into a Deed of Dedication declaring that the recreation ground shall "be preserved in perpetuity as a Memorial to His Late Majesty under the provisions of the KGFF and shall henceforth be known as a 'King George’s Field'." However, in order to avoid duplication of effort and to minimise administrative costs, the Foundation took the natural step of consulting the NPFA, the national voluntary organisation which, since 1925, was the only recognised authority on all playing fields matters, and its affiliated county organisations. The NPFA would act, as administrator, to look at and consider proposals in order to allocate grants.

A Charity Commission Scheme was made on 1 December, 1965 passing the trusteeship of the Foundation to the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA) and, among other things, widening the objects of the Foundation to include the "preservation" of the King George’s Fields. In view of the NPFA’s duties to preserve these sites, and the fact that it was a condition of the original grant-in-aid that the land should be preserved in perpetuity for the purpose mentioned, the Foundation’s Trustees, that is the NPFA, should be informed of any proposal to dispose of, or develop land subject to a Deed of Dedication. This is of vital importance when one considers the location of many of the King George’s Fields – that is, prime central sites of tremendous development value in many towns and cities. Without effective protection, exercised by partnership between the NPFA and the Charity Commission, these fields could be prey to disposal or change of use by local authorities or other owners themselves. Disposal refers to disposal by way of freehold, leasehold or other transactions, such as grants of easements, rights and options, and exchanges of land.

This, enables the NPFA to discharge its duty to safeguard the fields as both valuable sporting/recreational green spaces and as a national memorial.

[edit] NPFA Objectives

The objective of preserving the King George’s Fields as both valuable sporting/recreational greenspaces and as a national memorial is a precious one. It is, however, capable of achievement, in a sustainable manner, by establishing a new partnership between the NPFA, the landowners and intermediary bodies, of a voluntary and independent nature.

For over seventy years, the NPFA has been at the forefront of efforts to protect and provide adequate playing fields and children’s playspace throughout the United Kingdom. As the Millennium approaches, the cause that brought the Association into existence remains as valid as ever. The ever-increasing commercial exploitation of land and insensitive planning contribute to the growing threat to outdoor recreational space. Too many playing fields and playgrounds are deteriorating or disappearing altogether and far too many major housing developments are created with inadequate green space, especially for children at play.

Recommendations on Outdoor Playing Space were first formulated in 1925, soon after the Association’s formation. This helped ensure that ‘every man, woman and child in Great Britain should have the opportunity of participating in outdoor recreational activity within a reasonable distance of home during leisure hours’. The Association urged all local authorities to adopt a minimum standard of provision of 5 acres of public open space for every 1,000 people, of which at least 4 acres “should be set aside for team games, tennis, bowls and children’s playgrounds.”

This was a result of the challenge which the organisation faced at that time. When it came to numbers, it was estimated that [over four million children] had nowhere to play. Surveys concluded, ‘that while secondary schools were comparatively well equipped with playing fields as opposed to primary schools, relatively few towns came near reaching the then required minimum standard of ‘four acres’ of public playing fields per thousand of population, and that many villages had no facilities at all for recreation’.

So, in light of the situation, there was much to be done and this could only be made possible through the valuable support of members and donors, and local authorities commitment and co-operation. With their help, the NPFA has kept its recreational space standard under regular review. It now stands as the ‘Six Acre Standard’, recommending six acres per 1,000 head of population as a minimum necessity in space requirement.

The inherent soundness of the NPFA as the national guardian of recreation space, therefore, can be ascribed to the charity’s wide ranging concern for the recreational needs of the community at large, and children in particular. As a result, its two main aims were listed as:

• 'the keeping of very small children off the streets by providing for them in congested areas small playgrounds, where there is no risk of injury by motor or other wheeled traffic;

• the provision of adequate playing fields for the masses of young people who having no room themselves to play, rush in thousands to look at others playing, or perhaps indulge in less desirable pursuits'.

In 1992, the Association revised its recommendations on recreational space to include the ‘Children’s Playing Space Standard’ aspect of the ‘Six Acre Standard’. Part of the recommendation then was a general statement of the need for adequate children’s playing space. Planners, developers and local authorities paid too little attention to play needs when they considered proposals for new housing developments. While such plans always included provision for adequate parking space for cars, there was often no similar requirement for playing space for children.

Children are the greatest users of the outdoor environment, but the streets in residential areas have been designed primarily for use by cars, and have been virtually taken over by them. The sheer volume of traffic has come to dominate their lives, and the process of play, it is therefore clear that firm and realistic guidelines on children’s playing space provision are urgently needed. The NPFA’s Six Acre Standard, however, makes a major contribution to the Association’s mission to change attitudes.

As well as campaigning with local communities to save playing fields from development, the NPFA is responsible for the management and care of the King George’s Fields, which are a memorial to the Late King. The NPFA also seeks to extend the list of fields which it protects for the nation.

On the practical side, the dedication and action of so many supporters has ensured that the NPFA continues to work purposefully for the achievement of its mission. Nowhere is that more evident than on its fields – at grassroots level.

[edit] The NPFA Land Holding

The NPFA’s Fields Department has considerable expertise in the management and protection of recreation land. The department supervises the property over which the Association acts as Guardian Trustee and ensures that it retains its charitable purpose.

The NPFA has a role in the protection of over 2,000 fields across the United Kingdom – NPFA, KGF and those with covenants over them. In total, the NPFA’s land portfolio represents an interest over 13,000 acres (53 km²). More than half of the sites were funded in the 1920s and 30s by the NPFA and the Carnegie (UK) Trustees on the basis that the land would be kept as public playing fields in perpetuity. In all of its work, the NPFA is assisted by affiliated national and county associations and other partners.

[edit] Conclusion

The core business of the NPFA is the provision and protection of recreational and playing space for active outdoor recreation. Matters relating to the provision of areas for informal play, open space and environmental conservation are of vital importance in their own right and are taken into consideration by the Association in all of its work. The original vision of living memorials in the form of playing fields benefiting communities across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom can only be maintained by:

• actively campaigning for extending the list of playing fields which the NPFA protects for the nation;
• maintaining preservation and responsibility for the King George’s Playing Fields;
• seeking government support in order that play, sport and recreation facilities for the people of the United Kingdom remain high on its agenda;
• protecting new fields; and
• saving fields from built development.

Playing fields enhance the local environment and are part of our nation’s rich heritage. They are also an amenity that is freely available to everyone, and because sport and outdoor recreation is vitally important for the development of young people, the NPFA has a crucial role in supporting this. The work of the National Playing Fields Association in acquiring, protecting and improving more playing space is as urgent a requirement today as it was at the turn of the century.

Today, the NPFA continues to work to provide recreational facilities in many places where such opportunities were previously lacking and the fields are being used by people of all ages. Down the years, their preservation will be safeguarded by the National Playing Fields Association, an organisation of which King George V himself was its first President and to which he gave such great practical support.

[edit] Six Acre Standard

The Six Acre Standard aims to help land use planners ensure a sufficient level of open space to enable residents of all ages to participate in sports and games with an emphasis on access for children to play grounds and other play space.

The standard suggests that for each 1000 residents there should be 2.4 hectares (6 acres) comprising of:

• 1.6 hectares (4 acres) for outdoor sport and recreation space (including parks)
• 0.8 hectares (2 acres) for children's play, with about 0.25 ha of this equipped playgrounds

In its publication: ‘The Six Acre Standard’, the NPFA outlines a more detailed breakdown including a hierarchy of child play space. Unfortunately there is no online version of this document and it must be purchased from the NFPA.

[edit] See also

• List of King George V Playing Fields
• Urban planning

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• National Playing Fields Association