Large crowd attends our launch

Despite the temptation of the Wimbledon Men's Finals, the launch of the Ashton Hayes new recreation field with its low carbon pavilion and community electric car, drew a huge crowd. The fabulous new facilities were opened by the Lord Mayor of Chester, Eleanor Johnston and Amy Pattinson, and the event opened by the Deputy Lieutenant, David Newton. Thanks to the Chester Chronicle for coverage. The community shop did a roaring trade in ice cream and drinks and the Ashton Hayes Sports and Recreation Association, which developed the new field, signed up many 'Friends of the Field'. The Going Carbon Neutral Project played its role by raising the finance for the building and car (£300,000) - thanks to DECC. Full sete of photos can be found on Flickr thanks to Lynn and Richard of M&M Associates. Full programme.

Join our electric car club

We are the first community in the North West to have our own all-electric Nissan Leaf zero emission vehicle – recently voted World car of the Year. It has an impressive performance with high equipment specification (including 5 seats, satnav, a/c and MP3 socket) and covers 85-105 miles on one charge. The vehicle also has top safety ratings. Anyone in the village with a clean driving licence* aged 18 and over can hire this fantastic car for short periods by booking over the internet or by phone. Current hire costs are £4.25 an hour plus 5p per mile (no fuel charges) with no annual membership fees. We are reviewing the costs based on feedback from members.

To ensure we run a professional service, Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral has teamed up with

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Volunteers surface our car park in a sustainable way

Left: Richard Ashworth is providing the plant for free to surface the car park while Andrew Garman (right) makes the edging tidy with stone donated by Ken Hartley.

The car park at the new recreation ground is being resurfaced with recycled road materials with the kind help of local people especially the Farrell family for materials. Geoff Newsome, a local farmer, is providing the recycled tarmac and Richard Ashworth is providing the yellow metal to lay and roll out the surface in time for Sunday's opening - see below. Andrew Garman has donned his work clothes to sort out the edges. Thanks also to Tommy Donnachie for supplying the gravel area in front of our new pavilion. Community effort indeed!

Low carbon pavilion opens this sunday 3rd July, 3pm

Ashton Hayes Sports and Recreation Association has great pleasure in attaching the programme of events and a map for this Sunday’s formal opening, starting at 3pm, of the village’s recreational field, play area and low carbon pavilion. Links here for programme and map. Come and see our new Nissan Leaf too!

Ashton Hayes in 'Villages of Britain'

Country Life editor, Clive Aslet, has added Ashton Hayes to his latest book of the villages that make Britain. Here's what the Book People say.

"Villages of Britain" is the history of the countryside, told through five hundred of its most noteworthy settlements. Many of Britain's villages are known for their loveliness, of course, but their role in shaping the nation over the centuries is relatively untold, drowned out by the metropolitan bias of history. A consummate storyteller, Clive Aslet deftly weaves the worlds of agriculture, politics, the arts, industry, folklore, science, ecology, fashion and religion into one irresistible volume. It covers: the Bedfordshire works that a century ago manufactured half a billion bricks a year; the Cheshire municipality, striving to become the country's first carbon-neutral community; the Derbyshire estate where the cottages represent the gamut of European architecture; the Gloucestershire community founded by Tolstoyans...(more on website)... All these are places that have made a unique contribution to the narrative of this country. Follow Clive Aslet in visiting all five hundred villages, and you will have experienced the history of these islands from a uniquely rural perspective.