KC Active

*CliffeFest Postponed* – KCA Statement

Hi All,

Following on from today’s communication regarding CliffeFest, and after careful consideration and discussion with all of the Trustees and Management, the majority of us all have unfortunately voted that, in order to protect the condition and availability of the football pitches for the 2026–27 season, we are unable to allow CliffeFest to be held on either of the football pitches in September 2026.

KCA does not take this decision lightly, and we all regret having to make it. We recognise the importance of CliffeFest to many families and the wider village, and we fully support the principle of community events being held in Kings Cliffe.

As Trustees and Management of KCA, however, we have a responsibility to act in the best interests of the charity, to safeguard its assets and to ensure that our facilities remain available for the charitable purposes for which they are provided. This includes maintaining suitable facilities for sport and recreation and ensuring that the football pitches are available and in an appropriate condition for the teams, children and other users who rely upon them throughout the football season.

We considered whether alternative arrangements could be made and put forward recommendations for our other hard-standing facilities to be considered as a possible location for CliffeFest. Unfortunately, given the timelines involved, it was not possible to replan the event to use those facilities on this occasion.
A significant consideration for the Trustees is the timing of CliffeFest in relation to the start of the 2026–27 football season. The event would take place at a time when the pitches are already under considerable pressure during pre-season, with the football season due to commence in the same week. We cannot responsibly expose the charity to the risk of additional damage, significant repair costs or the loss of use of the pitches at the beginning of the season.

As a charity, KCA has limited funds and those funds must be used responsibly in furtherance of our charitable purposes. We therefore cannot commit charitable funds to potentially significant additional remedial work arising from holding the event at a time when the pitches need to be protected for the forthcoming football season.

This decision is therefore not a decision against CliffeFest. It is a decision about the timing and location of the event and the Trustees’ responsibility to protect KCA’s facilities and charitable resources for the benefit of the wider community.

The majority of Trustees and Management would be very supportive of CliffeFest returning in June 2027. Holding the event at this time would provide a much more suitable window for the pitches to recover following the event before the start of the 2027–28 football season in September.

Subject to the appropriate arrangements being agreed, we would be very happy to welcome CliffeFest back onto the grass pitches at that time and would look forward to supporting the event.

We hope everyone understands that this has been a difficult decision. It has been made after careful consideration, with the intention of protecting KCA’s charitable assets and ensuring that our facilities continue to benefit sport, recreation, children, football clubs and the wider Kings Cliffe community for many years to come.

Regards,
Guy Varty
Chair of Trustees

Sent on behalf of all KCA Management and Trustees

📢 Updated Hire Agreement & Terms and Conditions

We’ve recently reviewed and updated our Hire Agreement and Terms & Conditions, which will come into effect from 1st September.

If you currently book, or are planning to use any of our facilities in the future, please take a few moments to read through the updated agreement so you’re familiar with the terms of hire.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of KC Active!

We are ideally looking for somebody 18+

⚠️ INCIDENT AT KC ACTIVE – PLEASE SPEAK TO YOUR YOUNG PEOPLE ⚠️

Unfortunately, this evening (9:30pm) a group of young people, believed to be approximately 15–18 years old, broke into areas of the facilities at KC Active.

This is extremely disappointing and completely unacceptable. KC Active is a community facility provided for the benefit of local residents, sports clubs, children, young people and community groups. Breaking into restricted areas, trespassing or interfering with property and equipment is not harmless fun.

We would ask parents and carers to please speak to their teenagers this evening and make it very clear that entering KC Active facilities without permission is unacceptable. Aside from the potential criminal consequences, there are also very real safety risks involved.

If this happens again, we will have no hesitation in contacting the police. We simply cannot allow people to break into community facilities or put themselves, others, and the property at risk.

If your child was involved, or you have any information about the incident, we would strongly encourage you to contact KC Active directly so that this can be dealt with appropriately.

We work extremely hard to maintain and improve these facilities for the whole community, and it is incredibly frustrating to see them treated in this way.

Please share this message, particularly with parents and carers of teenagers in the village.

Thank you for your support.

⚽ PLEASE KEEP OFF THE LOWER FOOTBALL PITCH ⚽

We’re asking everyone to please stay off the bottom/lower football pitch from now on while we carry out some much-needed work to get it into the best possible condition ready for the new football season, which starts very soon.

🥅 All of the goals on both pitches have now been moved out of the way and chained up.

💦 We’ll also be running the sprinklers regularly to help the grass recover (which is allowed under the current regulations). Please do not touch, move or adjust the sprinklers or any of the water settings. They have been positioned and set specifically to water the pitch effectively.

⚽ Still want to have a kickabout?
We’ve left one goal available on the top pitch, which children and young people are very welcome to use.

🗑️ A quick word about litter too…

Unfortunately, we’re seeing an increasing number of bottles, cans and other rubbish being left around the pitches and the wider site. There are bins available, so please make sure all litter is put in a bin or taken home with you.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents and carers – we’d really appreciate your help.
Please pass these messages on to your children and teenagers, particularly if they use the pitches independently:

• Keep off the lower football pitch
• Do not touch or move the sprinklers
• Use the top pitch for a kickabout
• Put all rubbish in the bins

A lot of time, effort and money goes into maintaining the pitches and facilities for everyone to enjoy. Giving the lower pitch some time to recover now will help us provide a much better playing surface for the season ahead.

Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us look after the site. ⚽🌱