Friday 6th February 2026 saw a second successful fundraising quiz night at Welford Bowling Club. Tickets sales of £900 were topped up with the raffle bringing total takings to £1,315 for the evening. First prize was a two-course meal with a bottle of wine at the Bell Inn.
Fifteen teams battled it out for quiz supremacy having had their fill of chilli provided by the Friends of Synder Meadow. Vegetarian chill, provided by the Plantarium Cafe went down a storm.
Once again our seasoned quiz masters, Chris and Jane, set some tricky questions and collated the scores. The competition was fierce among the Welford quiz teams; final scores for the top teams were separated by only one point.
Welford on Avon Cricket Club has plans for a quiz to be held at the Welford and Weston Memorial Hall in March. Details to follow.
As 2025 ends and we usher in a New Year, progress on the new pavilion at Synder Meadow gathers pace. November saw the pavilion take shape as the piles were driven in and the walls were lifted into position. December saw the roof laid, windows and internal partitions installed. January sees the windows and doors glazed, the insulation going in and cladding going on.
drone shot from Novemberfront deckdoor framesrubber roofglazing and cladding installed in January
Have You Seen It Yet?
If you’ve been to Synder Meadow recently, you’ll have seen how far Welford’s new Community and Sports Pavilion has come. The outer shell is advanced and the building is looking impressive. The project is on track for completion in February. The long-held vision is now a real asset for our village.
A brilliant start to fundraising for the fit out and site completion
Thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of the community, around £14,000 has been raised since late November. Our quiz night at the Bowls Club in November not only launched the Buy a Brick campaign but also raised over £1,000. Just as importantly, it brought people together and showed the strength of support behind the Pavilion.
Quiz Night – join us on Friday 6 February
Buy your tickets for the next quiz night on 6 February at Welford Bowls Club. £60 per table of 6, to include the quiz (and prizes!) and a served hot supper. There will be a raffle too. Bring friends and family and help keep the momentum going.
As the outer shell nears completion, we are making a renewed request for your support through the Buy a Brick option. Many residents have said they plan to take part, and now is the perfect time.
When you Buy a Brick, you are sponsoring a ceramic tile that will be displayed on the Pavilion’s Wall of Support, featuring your name, a short message or a company logo. It’s a simple, lasting way to show your support and help fund the Pavilion’s internal fit-out, which is the next vital stage.
Stay informed and get involved
See updates on the Pavilion website and at the old butchers. A leaflet with upcoming events and ways you can support will also be delivered through your door.
More fundraising to come
Lively events are being planned by the Friends of Synder Meadow team. Dates will be announced soon. Do get involved and support your village. Please get in touch if you can help at all. Donations are welcome too.
Alongside community fundraising, we are pursuing grants and funding opportunities. Applications are already with several organisations, including the Football Association who we are meeting soon. More submissions are being written.
We remain hopeful that these, combined with community fundraising, will help complete the Pavilion to the high standard Welford deserves.
Thank you once again for the encouragement, generosity and goodwill shown so far. Together, we’re creating a welcoming hub that will benefit the village for years to come.
By anyone’s standards the Curry and Quiz fundraiser held at Welford on Avon’s bowls club on 26 Nov 25 was a great success.
Many thanks to everyone who came. Good cheer was in abundance and the community spirit was clear. Tables were full and ticket receipts were £720. Tickets included curry, covered costs and a donation to the pavilion fit-out fund.
Buy-a-Brick
Run by the Friends of Synder Meadow, the focus of the evening was to raise awareness of the Buy-a-Brick campaign. The brain-child of Gez Thompson, willing benefactors of the pavilion donate £150, £500 or £1000. A personal message, family or company name is then inscribed on a tile and placed in a feature location within the public space of the completed pavilion.
Donations through Buy-a-Brick can be made though the website.
By the end of the day, donations for Buy-a-Brick totalled £2800.
Homemade Curry
On arrival, groups of six took a table and then a curry to start the evening. Delicious chicken korma, tikka makhani and rogan josh was provided by willing volunteers. A special thank you to Mani at the shop for providing the naan bread and Sandeep’s wife for the dal makhani. Homemade brownies made an appearance thanks to Gez.
Raffle tickets were on sale through the evening and took £395. Top prize was tickets for two to the racing at Stratford Racecourse.
Tables full and bellies filled with homemade curries, the quiz delivered on fun and competitive spirit. Congratulations to the winning team, Oldwick Giants, who took the glory and the prize hamper.
Sonia Hockaday and Gez Thompson updated the room on the progress of the pavilion build at Synder Meadow. With the piles complete, steel frame in place and the scaffolding now up, the pavilion is starting to take shape.
Special thanks to the quiz masters, Chris and Jane, for keeping the evening moving and providing some quirky quiz questions.
Thanks also to Welford on Avon bowls club for providing the venue and in particular the bar personnel who went above and beyond to help.
The Friends of Synder Meadow are a self-styled group who have got together to coordinate fundraising events to bring the new pavilion at Synder Meadow to life. They are a small, energetic bunch and welcome any help on offer. To get involved, please touch base by filling the form on the contact page. Any help is welcome, from baking a cake to helping to write these pages!
Groundworks to level the site at Synder Meadow Pavilions were completed and piling began by the end of October. In a few short days they were in and the attenuation tank installed.
The beginning of November saw foundation pads and beams dug and the rebar installed. With inspection now complete, the concrete pour can follow.
Despite the rain, exciting progress is underway! Hinton Design & Build are now officially on site and construction has begun on the new Synder Meadow Pavilion.
Initial surveying complete Site stripped and prepared Piling mats installed Haul road stripped and laid All works overseen and formally signed off by the appointed archaeologist
This is the first step in turning the long-awaited plans into reality – a shared space for sport, events and community life.
Thank you to everyone who’s supported the project so far. More updates to come as the build progresses.
Hinton Design & Build (Hinton Group) were today formally appointed as primary contractor to construct the new pavilion at Synder Meadow. They were selected from a group of six that had responded to the opportunity to tender for the contract.
Welford on Avon Parish Council are delighted to confirm that Hinton Design & Build has been appointed as the main contractor for the new Welford Pavilion at Synder Meadow. Based in Bromsgrove, Hinton brings a wealth of experience in design and construction across the West Midlands and beyond. This appointment marks a vital milestone in bringing our vision for an inclusive, multi-purpose sports and community hub to life.
I’d also like to extend heartfelt thanks to Trinity Property Consultants, our Quantity Surveyors and Project Managers, for expertly steering the procurement and tender process, and to Halligan Consulting Engineers for providing the mechanical and electrical performance specifications. With such strong partners, we are well supported on this exciting journey.
Councillor Jamie Hockaday, Welford on Avon Parish Council
Family-run Hinton Design & Build Ltd were selected for offering:
value for money
a realistic schedule
a flexible, modular approach
a complete design and build service
Construction follows demolition of the existing structure and is scheduled to begin in early October 2025. Completion will be in early spring of 2026.
On Thursday 4th September, the old clubhouse was finally demolished by the expert team from City Demolition. After a few days of preparation, local residents, Parish Council members, a reporter from the Stratford Herald, and our very own MP, Manuela Perteghella, gathered to witness the beginning of a brand-new chapter for the space.
With the rain holding off just long enough, the demolition began under grey skies but bright energy. Much to the delight of all, MP Manuela Perteghella even climbed into the cab!
Then the experts from City Demolition took over, swiftly and safely deconstructing the old clubhouse in a matter of 28 minutes, bringing down decades of history in a powerful and symbolic step toward the future.
The removal of the old clubhouse marks the beginning of exciting plans to build the new sports and community pavilion.
A community event to celebrate the beginning of the project and to seek fundraising support to construct the new pavilion at Synder Meadow was held on Sunday 31 August at The Four Alls, Welford on Avon.
The fundraising team talked through the project. All agreed a new pavilion was desperately needed to replace the rotten existing structure. It had been identified as a priority by the village, during consultation for the Neighbourhood Development Plan. A summary of the presentation is available for download.
A successful application for funds from Stratford District Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) grant kick started the project in 2023. Planning approval followed and additional funds were secured from Welford Parish Council via CIL funds and precept. £600,000 has been raised to date which is enough to construct the flood-resilient pavilion structure.
However there is a further challenge! There is a fundraising target of £200,000 to fit out the community areas and £150,000 for the sports facilities. This includes the building’s interior, a new outdoor recreation space, a running path and orchard.
Lively informal discussion followed, with pledges of support and many ideas for how this target can be achieved. Together the community can build a legacy for Welford to enjoy and be proud of. Please get in touch with your ideas and any offers of help! All will be greatly appreciated. And come back to the website regularly, or keep an eye on the old butcher’s window for updates.
The long-awaited transformation of Synder Meadow is set to take a significant step forward with the demolition of the existing, unfit-for-purpose clubhouse on Thursday 4 September 2025. This marks a pivotal milestone in realising the community’s vision for a modern pavilion and enhanced facilities. Demolition of the building has been generously offered by City Demolition at zero cost to the community of Welford on Avon.
The current clubhouse, long described as being in “a dreadful state of repair and no longer fit for purpose”, will finally be removed to make way for the new replacement building. The new pavilion structure is due for completion in the early part of 2026.
The demolition will be a formally supported event. Local MP Manuela Perteghella will be in attendance at 11am on Thursday to witness and lend her backing to the project.
The new pavilion, designed to serve both sports and community functions, received planning permission in April 2024. It will include:
Modern changing rooms and toilets meeting Sport England specifications
A welcoming central multi-functional space with kitchen and additional toilets, suitable for community and business events
The structure will be elevated on stilts to ensure flood resilience and includes a lift for full wheelchair access for inclusivity
Synder Meadow, owned by the Parish Council, is the home of Welford’s cricket and football pitches. The new pavilion promises to become a flexible hub, with: two youth football pitches, two junior football pitches, a cricket green, pétanque court, a community orchard, running path and a community recreation space.
To mark the start of pavilion construction, the The Parish Council extend an invitation to all supporters and interested parties to a Launch Event at The Four Alls from 4pm on Sunday 31st August 2025.
Please do come along to show your support and to find out more.
