The Ranch Playing Fields
Workington Town Council is the proud owner of The Ranch Playing Fields, located off Moss Bay Road, Workington.
The land was purchased by the Council in 2023 under the Open Spaces Act 1906. This act prohibits the use of the land for any commercial gain; allowing the Council to safeguard the future of the land for the benefit of the community and preserve it as the essential green space it is within the town, it also prevents any development that would put the land at risk.
The playing fields are home to a number of traditional grass football pitches, tailored to meet the needs of different age groups, and although there are limited facilities on site at present, we are happy to discuss the requirements of your booking with you and help in anyway we can to make your experience and usage enjoyable and stress free. The site also has free parking available. At this time you will need to supply your own equipment.
If you would like to hire The Ranch Playing Fields, please fill out the appropriate application form below and return to office@workingtontowncouncil.gov.uk.
Once we have received your completed form, we will contact you to discuss your booking in more detail and confirm availability for your chosen dates.
Please note that there is a charge for the hire:
£100 per pitch, per time slot, per season
£20 one off booking, per time slot, per pitch
We are happy to discuss charges outside of the above requirements.
Hire time slots are:
9am-1pm
1pm-5pm
5pm onwards
Before making a booking, please read our terms and conditions below:
Terms and Conditions of Community Use of Facilities
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Usage and Bookings
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Hirers must apply to use the land by completing the Ranch Booking Form and confirm that they have read and agreed these terms and conditions of hire.
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All users are required to provide proof of insurance with the Hire Booking Form.
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On receipt of an application, the Council shall verify that the booking request is capable of being fulfilled, and meets the terms defined herein.
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The schedule of date & time of the hire must be indicated on the booking form. All periods of hire are inclusive of setting up and setting down time. This should be borne in mind when making bookings.
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On acceptance of the booking, the Council will send confirmation of the hire, and an invoice.
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Bookings are not granted on a first come first served basis. Each application is evaluated against our community usage policy. As a result, all regular bookings are reviewed on an annual basis.
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Facilities hired by sports clubs shall normally be used for home games in connection with league and friendly fixtures only and for training purposes, and not for any other purpose (e.g., other events or festivals) without specific approval. Sub-letting is prohibited.
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Any user or hirer must be registered as a charity or Community Amateur Sports Club, or if not so registered, appear to the Council to be eligible for registration as a Community Amateur Sports Club. If you are a school or community organisation, please contact us to discuss.
2. Prohibition of use on Workington Town Council Land
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The Hirer is expressly prohibited from the use of or release of sky lanterns, helium balloons and plastic ducks into any waterways from the land.
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The Hirer will not use or allow to be used by attendees any lighting of bonfires, fireworks, or disposable barbeque equipment on the land to which this agreement refers.
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The Hirer will not allow the use of inflatable play equipment on the land.
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The Hirer shall not partake in activity on the land that is for commercial benefit.
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Stalls or vehicles for the sale of food and drink or any other items are not permitted anywhere on the property other than by arrangement of the Council
3. Responsibility of Hirer
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It is the Hirer’s responsibility to leave the facilities in a satisfactory state and to remove their own rubbish.
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Users will be responsible for and must make good any damage caused to pitches or other facilities over and above fair wear and tear. Players should wear appropriate footwear.
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Users and persons associated with users must park cars and vehicles in the designated parking areas within the facilities. Vehicles must not be taken onto grassed areas. Hirers must ensure that vehicles not parked on private land belonging to others or on adjacent roads or in any way such as to cause inconvenience to residents or businesses.
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Hirers must not interfere with or connect on their own account to any mains services at the facility.
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No food or drink is allowed on any of the sports pitches. Water bottles and sports drinks may be taken to the pitches but should be collected and disposed of in the bins provided.
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Hirer may not restrict or interfere with the access of other users to the Ranch facilities.
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No admission fees may be charged.
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Smoking, alcohol or drug use is not permitted anywhere on the facility. For the benefit of residents, we would ask that you do not use abusive language whilst at the facility.
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Only service animals are admitted to the facility.
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Teams are responsible for all equipment while on hire - any lost or damaged equipment must be replaced.
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Guests and other visitors should be made aware of these conditions and regulations.
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The person making the booking will be responsible for payment, behaviour of their group and any damage caused by group members.
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To respect the facility and community, the facilities should be vacated promptly and quietly, without any purposeful damage or defacement of any of the facilities and surrounding area. No foul language is to be used and litter disposed in the bins provided.
4. Disclosure / Qualification
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Those admitted to the facility must observe the conditions and regulations. The contract of hire MUST be signed by at least one adult who must remain on the premises during the contract of hire. No young person, under the age of 16 years, should be without adult supervision.
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All adults either coaching or helping with junior teams must hold a current (renewed every 3 years or if job/role/team changes), satisfactory disclosure check and appropriate level of qualification. By completing the booking form, you are confirming that all adults coaching or helping have both. Adults who are either going through disclosure or have yet to go through disclosure should not take part in sessions until the disclosure process has been satisfactorily completed. This is the responsibility of the Hirer. If you require assistance for your team in relation to disclosure or qualifications, please contact the Council.
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It is the hirer’s responsibility to ensure that any photographs or videos involving children are only taken and used with prior consent of the child’s parent / guardian.
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If you organise a child’s team (Under 16) please ensure parents or responsible adults accompany their children into the venue and are responsible for their safety before and after the booking.
5. Payment
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All bookings must be paid at least one week in advance. The fees relating to each booking must be paid in full prior to the bookings start time.
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Payments made are non-refundable within seven days of the booking. Payment method should be indicated on the booking form.
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For regular hires an invoice will be sent termly or annually by agreement. No refunds will be given if the hirer is unable to fulfil his/her part of the hire agreement.
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Hire charges are:
£100 per pitch, per time slot, per season
£20 one off booking, per time slot, per pitch
Hire time slots are:
9am-1pm
1pm-5pm
5pm onwards
5. Receipts for hire of the facilities can be provided if requested. Receipts for hire must be retained to receive a refund.
6. Cancellations and variations
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Any dispute relating to the hire of the facility will be referred to the Council.
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Variations to the hire agreement agreed by the Hirer and the Council may be made when the hire period is renewed.
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Changes in circumstances in relation to the use of the facilities must be notified immediately to the Council.
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If payment is not received as described above, bookings will automatically be cancelled, and the user will be liable to meet the full booking cost. No notice will be given. Should the Council deem that any block booker is continually abusing the block booking system in any way, then the Council retains the right to cancel that block booking with a minimum of 7 days’ notice in writing.
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The Council reserves the right to refuse admission, or to evict, any person from the facility.
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Facilities may be deemed out of use due to inclement weather or for health and safety reasons. If this is the case, users will be informed as soon as possible, and facilities must not be used until users have been advised that use is again possible. Re-arrangement will usually be possible within the terms of the Hire Agreement at no additional cost.
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No cancellations will be accepted within the block booking period. It is the responsibility of the block booking applicant to ensure that each weeks’ activity is paid for irrespective of use or not.
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Repeated failure to pay or appear for the booking will result in termination of the entire block booking.
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Cancellations or modifications to an existing booking cannot be made less than 2 working days before the session is due to start.
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Booking customers cancelling in line with this cancellation policy will receive a refund.
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All customers failing to cancel a booking within the defined period, or failing to attend a pre-booked activity will be charged the full fee for the activity in question.
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Refunds will only be given in exceptional circumstance and requests in writing must be addressed to the Council.
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Any block booking applicant wishing to terminate their entire block booking must forward their requesting in writing to the Council no later than 28 days before the requested termination date. All outstanding fees must be paid up to date before the termination request will be accepted.
7. Responsibilities of Council
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The Council will not be held liable for accident to person(s) or loss of property by any person or organisation during or in connection with bookings at any of the facilities.
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Anyone entering or using the facility does so at his or her own risk, and the Council accepts no liability in respect of any loss, damage or injury, howsoever caused. It is the hirer’s responsibility to undertake a risk assessment of their activities. Any accidents that do occur should be reported to the Council.
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The Council undertakes wherever possible to provide the facilities which have been booked under the hire policy.
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maintain those facilities in good order suitable for use for the agreed purpose, including maintaining grass at appropriate lengths.
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maintain an acceptable standard of pitch marking
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provide secure storage for flags and goalposts (where permanent goalposts are not installed) provided by the Hirer.
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notify the Hirer as soon as possible if inclement weather conditions make a pitch unavailable to protect the surface; and arrange to re-schedule the pitch hire at a mutually convenient date and time.
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View Workington Town Council's The Ranch Playing Fields Community Use Hire Policy here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us using any of the following methods:
Email: office@workingtontowncouncil.gov.uk
Phone: 01900 702986
Post: Workington Town Council, Town Hall, Oxford Street, Workington, CA14 2QG.