The King George V Hall and Fields (KGV) provides a popular and important recreational facility for residents, with a village hall and 33 acres of open land in the heart of the village, including sports pitches, playgrounds, woodland and open grassland.
The KGV Hall is home to a pre-school as well as many different clubs and activities, and is the regular meeting place for the Parish Council.
The KGV Fields has two playgrounds (one for toddlers and young children and one for older children) as well as rugby and football pitches and an artificial grass court, well-used by sports clubs and also available for private hire.
To find out more, and to book facilities, visit the KGV website.
Historical background
Between 1935 and 1938, Effingham residents raised £4,000 (a significant amount of money at the time) in order to purchase 33 acres of land for village playing fields – this is the area now known as the King George V Playing Fields. The purchase was assisted by funding from the King George V Memorial Fund, and ‘Fields in Trust’, the successor organization, still takes an interest in the Effingham KGV today.
After the Second World War, in 1947 the purchasing committee transferred the KGV land to Effingham Parish Council, to be held in trust for the benefit of the residents of Effingham in perpetuity. In 1951 the Parish Council dedicated the KGV Fields as a Charity (now EVRT). The KGV Hall was built in 1966, with sports changing rooms and clubrooms as well as a hall for general use.
You can read more about the early history of the KGV here.
Governance and Funding
The KGV is owned and managed by Effingham Village Recreation Trust (EVRT), a registered charity (number 305018). Effingham Parish Council is the Sole Trustee of the charity, holding the freehold of the land, and bearing responsibility under charity law for ensuring the facilities are managed in accordance with the objects of the charity. The Trustee appoints volunteers to an Executive Board which guides the day-to-day operations of the KGV, and initiates and implements projects to enhance and maintain the facilities.
The Parish Council provides funding to EVRT to pay for the cost of providing the KGV facilities which are free-at-the point of use, such as the playgrounds and accessible open fields, and a share of the cost of administration and providing a village hall for community use. The rest of the funding is paid by the various user groups including sports clubs, the pre-school, social club and other community clubs and activities.
