65 years of play: help write Fivehead's next chapter

The archive of a Somerset village play area tells 65 years of village life. Now it is behind fences, and the new trustees want it back.

The rocking horse from 1961, still in the play area in October 2026

Update, 22 October 2026. Our current Play On target is £60,000, focused on reopening and improving the play area. We are obtaining quotations, and the target may increase as costs become clearer. Our longer-term ambition includes the wider park, extra parking, and improvements to the Village Hall and other buildings.

For journalistsThis story is also a news release. Facts, pictures and logos are in our press area, or email [email protected].

Fivehead's play area, beside the Village Hall on Stowey Road, has been looked after by the village since 1961. Its records read like a history of village childhood.

The oldest records are for a metal rocking horse and 10ft swings, both dated 1961 on an invoice from Charles Wicksteed & Co of Kettering, the company famous for its playground equipment. The invoice, from 18 June 1973, lists new parts for them at a total of £11.47 including VAT. The rocking horse is still in the play area today. In September 1981 a free Wicksteed inspection checked an 18ft 6in slide, the swings and the rocking horse.

On 20 May 1982 the committee wrote to Mr J.P. Matravers of Isle Moor Works, Fivehead, to thank him for repairing and reinstating the rocking horse, which "has given much pleasure to the children of the village over many years".

In 2000 to 2001 a district council audit gave the play area "a particularly poor score". The village responded. In 2004 a questionnaire went to every home and found 48 children living in the village. On 3 July 2004 the children voted for a new design at the Fivehead Junior Superstars event, and the Junior Superstars raised £309.14 towards it. The new climbing tower, roundabout and swings went in in 2005, the same year the Village Hall opened next door.

The play area closed for safety reasons in August 2025 and has been behind temporary fencing since. Five volunteer trustees took over the village charity on 7 October 2026 and have launched Fivehead Park: Play On, with an ambitious first target of £60,000 to get it open again.

Stuart Wild, Chair of Trustees, said: "Generations of Fivehead children have grown up on this play area. Our first priority is simple: get it open again and get those fences down. We want to keep everything that can safely be kept, and give the village a play area that works for every age, from toddlers to teenagers."

The trustees are asking anyone with photos or memories of the play area, from the rocking horse to the 2004 vote, to get in touch.

Ends

Notes to editors

Fivehead Village Hall & Park is the working name of Fivehead Village Hall and Playing Field CIO, registered charity number 1204704. It runs Fivehead Village Hall and Fivehead Park on Stowey Road, Fivehead, Taunton TA3 6PP, for everyone in Fivehead and Swell.
Fivehead Park has a play area, a fenced MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area) and two football pitches, used by North Curry Football Club youth teams. The Village Hall opened in 2005.
The trustees are Stuart Wild (Chair), Peter Headington (Treasurer), Ed Jenkins (Secretary), Sharon Edwards (Events Lead) and Laura Bardell (Village Liaison Lead).
Archive documents and photos are on our press page, free to use with credit to Fivehead Village Hall & Park.
Photo calls and interviews: [email protected]

Pictures to download Fivehead Park: Play On