A town council has sparked anger by refusing to make an exception and allow a local rugby club to hold a family fun day in memory of its late president and chairman who died during lockdown. Pencoed RFC has an agreement with Pencoed Town Council for the use of its pitches and changing rooms, which the town council leases from Bridgend County Borough Council.
The rugby club said it asked for the use of the pitches on Boxing Day for a family touch rugby event in memory of Mal Summers, who was the club's president for eight years and its chairman for 21. But the council responded by saying that remedial work needed to be carried out on the pitch over the Christmas period and that the family day couldn't go ahead - adding that it had previously been told by the club that there were no planned fixtures over the Christmas period.
Julian Davies, the club's volunteer treasurer, said: "We’re trying to make it very clear - this is something for the community to commemorate the loss of a very prominent individual. Mal Summers was both president and chairman of the club, and very influential in both its progression and community - someone who was very well respected.
"Unfortunately we’ve had to wait 12 months to arrange this, with the Covid situation. We tried to arrange it on a day when we felt everyone could attend and we feel we’ve been blocked. We had an email saying we couldn’t use the pitch or the changing facilities due to remedial works which must be undertaken on the 23rd and 24th of December… bearing in mind the 24th is a Saturday."
Mr Davies claimed that the council had been uncooperative when the club had previously tried to book pitches - sometimes asking for fixtures to be entered a year in advance. He said: "The rugby club is a very complex entity with multiple sections - seniors rugby, ladies rugby, and mini and juniors rugby.
"We also have an affiliated running club and cricket club. Within the rugby side alone, we have two committees with 300-400 members and more people using the club through all those affiliations. We can’t influence external factors such as other teams that might want to change fixtures. It’s impossible to predict all fixtures a year in advance without them changing."
On this occasion, the club says it had requested on December 15 for the pitch to be booked for a touch rugby tournament, and Mr Davies claimed the council didn't respond. On December 20, the club said it contacted the council again to ask if the pavilion could also be booked, because the forecast showed it might rain on Boxing Day.
In both requests, the club said it made it clear that the council would not need to mark out the pitches (as it usually does for senior games). The club says the council denied the requests and asked if the club could use an alternative pitch, something which Mr Davies said wasn't possible due to the condition of the suggested pitches. In their response, a council spokesperson said that the club had been notified on December 9 that the council facilities wouldn't be available from 12pm on December 23 until January 3.
The spokesperson added: "Prior to this scenario evolving the Town Council had been informed by PRFC that there were to be no scheduled matches prior to and over the Xmas Period 2022, the next scheduled match being the 7th January 2023.
"A decision was then taken to issue a works schedule to the contractor to undertake remedial work over the period and purchase materials. With respect, at no point has the Town Council in any way criticised the integrity of the event in recognising the contribution by Mal Summers."
Mal Summers' daughter, Sue Daniel, said: "My father did everything for the club. He was the captain at 17 and was involved with the club up until he passed away at 88. He gave financial support, he drove the bus, when we had a drought he set aside one of our hay fields for them to play on.
"He was Pencoed rugby club, he was the heart and soul of the club. All the players who have come through the club and gained international status all know my dad. This was an opportunity for everybody, from the under-sevens right through to the grown-ups, to pay tribute to him.
"As a family, we had a team ready, and because of the decision by the town council to complete remedial works on the pitch, which as a farmer’s daughter, I don’t understand why you’d do at this time of year… we’re heartbroken, frustrated and bemused. We don’t understand why the town council would put a stop to this when Dad was such a community man."
Mr Davies pointed out that, as the rugby club wouldn't need the pitch until the second week of January, the remedial works could be postponed without disruption. He said that he was worried that by going public with these complaints, the club was putting its future at threat - but added that he had "absolutely no alternative."
Commenting on a post by the club on social media, Alex Williams, who sits on Bridgend County Borough Council, said: "I don't sit as a Member on Pencoed Town Council but did phone the Mayor today in an effort to delay the remedial works to allow this match to occur but to no avail unfortunately."
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