PRESS RELEASE: Campaign calls for Totnes’ playing fields to stay open for all as sell-off looms

Friends of Lower Field has launched a campaign to keep the playing field at King Edward VI Community College (KEVICC) open and free for the whole community. The land, also known as Elmhirst Field, is owned by Education South West - the Trust that runs KEVICC, which plans to sell it as part of a wider disposal of school land.

The group, which continues a long-running campaign to protect the site, formed after signs and barriers appeared in July at entrances to land earmarked for sale, forbidding public access. Campaigners are calling on Education South West to meet and work with them to secure the field’s future as a continued part of the community.

Despite the signs, Friends of Lower Field is inviting people to gather on the field every Saturday from 11am to midday, continuing until 24 October. People can join a game, bring a kite, play an instrument or simply enjoy the space. Each gathering will end with a short update and a chance to share ideas.

Anna Ali from Friends of Lower Field said:

"We recognise that KEVICC needs investment. But the community should not have to lose access to a much-loved and well-used green space to pay for it. People have shared with us the many ways they have used the site, from picnics and casual games to organised sports. It’s clear that Lower Field is part of the fabric of our community. This is the true spirit of the vision behind the Elmhirsts’ gift: a space that could be shared and used by all. We want to sit down with Education South West in good faith, before the land is sold, and find a way to improve the school while keeping Lower Field open and free for everyone.”

KEVICC has responded to community outcry by offering a new online calendar booking system for one-hour pre-arranged slots to use the section of grass which will be retained after sale.

Lewis Winks from Friends of Lower Field responded to the new booking system saying:

“We welcome some provision for organised groups to use the field, but what so many people value about Lower Field is that it is a space for unstructured enjoyment as well as team sports and clubs.”

“No one wants to book a slot on a calendar to go and sit in the sun and eat their lunch, fly a kite with their child or go for a kickabout after school or work. The new calendar booking system is a visual reminder of what is really happening here: a modern enclosure of public space and leisure time.”

Friends of Lower Field wants to support prospective community buyers, ask Education South West to consider a community bid as its preferred route, and protect free access. Members are also collecting residents’ memories and photographs, researching the sale and contacting elected representatives.

Archival correspondence seen by the group records the school and local people sharing the field in the late 1930s before it was gifted by the Dartington Hall Estate to Devon County Council who later transferred it over to trust ownership. Earlier sale and development proposals prompted local campaigns in the 1990s and again in 2022. In February 2025, the Department for Education approved Education South West’s application to dispose of the playing field and other land at KEVICC.