Services
Nature Reserves
Published: 3 April 2023
Tiffield Pocket Park is a linear park occupying a section of what was formerly the railway line to Towcester. It was in the 1980s that a group of local residents first considered using the old track for this purpose. The track was very overgrown, and it took a number of years before the pocket park was in a useable state. On many a Sunday morning, a collection of volunteer residents could be seen wielding saws, rakes, axes, and other instruments of destruction in order to clear the undergrowth and make the area fit for purpose.
The Pocket Park was set up as an independent organisation, the two “leading lights” being Martyn Greenaway-Rowe and Brian Taylor, both former residents of Meadow Rise who have now left the village. A pond was created, with a “dipping platform” which is used by the village school children. Various areas of the Pocket Park are named after those original hardworking pocketeers – Gordon’s Glade (Gordon Bradley), Miller’s Meadow (Keith Miller), and, indeed, Paula’s Tree (Paula Chaplin), which is a distorted tree on which the company sat to drink their tea!
The Pocket Park has been awarded Local Nature Reserve status, and links to other public footpaths in the area via steps at Gayton Wilds. It is used not only by residents of Tiffield and Gayton for walking dogs, but is visited by walkers from far and wide.
For many years the Pocket Park was maintained on a voluntary basis by Gordon Bradley, but the amount of work required is now too much for him to undertake, and following the disbanding of the Pocketeers Committee, the maintenance is now the responsibility of the Parish Council, which has a separate working group to oversee this village asset. The Chair of the working group and the Pocket Park Warden is Paula Chaplin, who can be contacted on 01327 352002
Where Does It Get Its Income From?
The Pocket Park was formerly an independant organisation. Although now managed by Tiffield Parish Council, and the Parish Council also pays the annual rent for the land, it is intended that the Pocket Park should otherwise be self-financing. There are a number of residents and friends who make monthly donations by standing order. Villagers are encouraged to support the Pocket Park in this way, and if you would like to do so please contact Paula Chaplin on 01327 352002. In addition, a “bucket collection” is made at the annual fireworks display, and there is also a collecting box on the bar at The George into which customers often put their loose change.
Fundraising activities are also organised from time to time.
What Does It Do With The Income?
There is a considerable amount of maintenance work undertaken to keep the Pocket Park looking beautiful and to ensure that it retains its Local Nature Reserve status. Much of this is undertaken by volunteers, and from time to time a “working party” of volunteers is required to undertake some of the work – you will be able to see details of this on the village noticeboard and on the Tiffield Villagers facebook page.
In addition to the work undertaken by volunteers, materials are required for the maintenance of gates and fences, and from time to time specialist contractors need to be called in to undertake specific maintenance projects.
Our Services
- Access to Information
- Access for Disabled People
- Advertising
- Alcohol License
- Allotments
- Allowances (Welfare Benefits)
- Animal Fouling
- Archives
- Arts and Entertainment Venues
- Asbestos Management
- Bin Collection
- Blocked Drains and Sewers
- Blue Badge
- Bridleways
- Bulky Waste Collection
- Burials
- Burnt Out Vehicles
- Bus Passes
- Bus Stops and Shelters
- Charities
- Citizens Advice
- Clocks
- Community Grants
- Community Support Groups & Organisations
- Community Transport
- Complaints Procedure
- Concessionary Fares
- Conservation Areas
- Council garages
- Council Housing
- Council Housing Repairs
- Council Land And Property
- Council Offices
- Council Tax
- Council Tax Benefit
- Council tax discount
- Councillors
- Country Parks
- Crime Prevention
- Cycling And Walking To School
- Dead Animal Removal
- Decision Notices (planning)
- Defibrillators
- Direct Payments
- Disabled Facilities Grant
- Disabled parking
- Disabled People – Bus Passes
- Disabled People – Home Adaptions And Aids
- Disabled People – Parking Bays
- Disabled People – Parking Permits
- Dog Fouling
- Dog Litter Bins
- Dog Wardens
- Drain And Gully Clearance
- Drainage
- Dropped Kerbs
- Dumped Cars
- Dumped rubbish
- Education Free School Meals
- Education School Transport
- Electoral Register
- Emergency Plan
- Entertainment And Events
- Flytipping
- Footpaths (rights of way)
- Fostering
- Fouling Animals
- Freedom Of Information
- Garage Lettings
- Garden Waste Disposal
- Graffiti removal
- Grants For voluntary Organisations
- Gritting (roads)
- Halls For Hire
- Hazardous Waste Collection
- Highways
- Home Care Support
- Home Schooling
- Household Garden Waste
- Household Waste Collection
- Housing Grants (disabled facilities)
- Joining A Library
- Markets
- Meals On Wheels
- Memorials
- Mobile Libraries
- Mobile Meals
- Mutual Home Exchange
- Noise
- Nursery Schools
- Obstructed Pavements
- Older Peoples Bus Pass
- Orange (now blue badge)
- Parish Councillors
- Parks And Grounds Maintenance
- Parks And Open Spaces
- Pavement Maintenance
- Pest Control
- Planning
- Planning Applications
- Playgrounds
- Potholes
- Premises Licence
- Primary School Places
- Public Footpaths
- Public Meetings
- Public Services
- Public Transport
- Records Office
- Recycling Bags And Containers
- Registering For A Council Property
- Report Stray Dog
- Respite Care For Children And Young People
- Road Cleaning
- Road Flooding
- Road Gritting
- Road Maintenance
- Road Obstructions
- Road Safety
- Road Signs
- Road Spillages
- Salting And Gritting
- School Clothing Grants
- Secondary Schools
- Social Activities And Support Groups
- Social Benefits
- Special Educational Needs Transport
- Speed Limits
- Sports And Recreation Facilities
- Sports Grounds
- Street Furniture
- Street Lighting
- Street name plates
- Street Parties Permission
- Tree Preservation
- Verge Maintenance
- Village Greens
- Village Halls
- Voluntary Organisation Grants
- Voting
- Walking To School
- War Memorials
- Winter Road Maintenance
- Woodlands
- Youth Services