About Kirkham Street Community Trust

KSFCT is a registered charity (CIO) which emerged from a community action group formed after a public meeting in Somerton on March 15th 2019. Their aim is to save the Kirkham Street field to provide a community leisure area near the town centre, in the form of a park.

The group have a large sum of money to raise in a short deadline. The field has a long history as a valued community resource. Originally called Fairfield, it lies in Kirkham Street behind the old Red Lion Hotel. It was the cricket pitch and village fairs were also held there. In 1964 it was bought by Somerset County Council and leased to Monteclefe Junior School as their playing field. King Ina Academy Junior School (formerly Monteclefe) is due to move to a new site at Northfield in September 2020. The county council can then sell the Kirkham Street Field and it has been suggested it will be sold for development. The group are trying to raise the funds to save it and success will be very dependent on the support and involvement of the community, local businesses and philanthropists.

The field is the last available public green space near the centre of town, and this is an opportunity to provide a place in which local people can enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of spending time in the great outdoors.