Save patch (From Western Telegraph)

Save patch

12:54pm Wednesday 17th October 2012 in Letters

I AM writing to lodge my objection to county council plans to build a bus turning / car park on what is known to locals as the “Cow patch” in Prendergast.

This is the field on the right hand side as you enter STP school from Prendergast after turning right by Mike’s Bikes. This should not and cannot be allowed to happen.

This is the only bit of green land left in Prendergast left for children to play on. The monstrosity of a new record centre all ready blights the landscape with half of the field taken up as a car park.

The cow patch is in constant use. I see parents watching football and rugby teams play and train there. I see children playing there riding there bikes and kicking a ball.

The cow patch is part of our heritage, this is were my generation and the ones before played and we knew we were safe. I kicked my first ball with my dad, I ‘scored’ my first try for Wales v England there (beating them 100-0). I won the world cup for Wales scoring 10 goals in 5 minutes to beat Brazil, I even scored a century for England in 20 balls and took ten wickets in an over to win the Ashes. I flew a kite and chucked a frisbee and much, much more.

Speak to most locals and the same stories will be told of how they learnt to play there and so did there parents and they now play with there children there now teaching them the same things . I have no doubt that a reply to this letter from someone in the council who has probably never heard of the cow patch or understands the deep feelings within the community on this issue will probably mention health and safety or some reason for this to go ahead. Hopefully our town and also county council members some of whom are Prendergast people haven’t forgotten their roots and will lodge their objections to the powers that be to stop this happening .

If we lose this resource were do they play? More importantly, where do they play that’s free and above all safe. There is so much media coverage these days of children being unfit and unhealthy, watching too much television. How can taking this field away be any good for this and the next generation? This idea needs to be stopped and stopped now. The “Cow Patch” needs to be kept for the children of Prendergast.

JASON LEWIS Prendergast Hill, Haverfordwest.