Totnes parents stage 'play protests' to save school field from sale
Residents of the Devon town of Totnes have been gathering each Saturday to play ballgames, fly kites and picnic on a riverside field, in a campaign to stop the land being sold to fund school refurbishments.
Parents and residents in the Devon town of Totnes have turned a riverside field into the site of weekly "play protests" as they campaign to prevent the land being sold to fund school refurbishments. Every Saturday through the autumn, families have gathered on the open ground beside the River Dart to play ballgames, fly kites or simply sit on the grass and talk, in an effort to demonstrate how much the community values the space.
The gatherings are intended as more than recreation. Organisers describe them as a visible challenge to plans to dispose of a piece of open land that has become a familiar part of life in the historic market town, and they have framed the campaign with the message that residents are "not playing games" over its future.
The field sits on the banks of the Dart, a setting that has made it a natural meeting point for local families. Its appeal lies in its simplicity: an unbuilt, accessible patch of grass where children can run and adults can gather without booking a venue or paying an entry fee. That everyday quality is central to the argument being made by those taking part, who say the value of such land cannot be measured only in the money it might raise.
At the heart of the dispute is the school's search for funds to carry out refurbishment work. Selling the land would provide a capital sum for improvements to buildings, but campaigners argue that the loss of open space would be felt across the wider community, not just within the school's grounds. The protests have therefore drawn in residents without a direct connection to the school, alongside parents of current pupils.
The choice of a Saturday play session as a form of protest reflects the character of the campaign. Rather than placards and speeches, the gatherings put the field's current use on display, with ballgames and kites serving as evidence of what would be lost if the land were developed or fenced off. The approach also keeps the mood family-friendly, allowing children to take part in the defence of a space they use themselves.
Town councillors and local groups in Totnes have long treated access to green space as a sensitive issue, and the town's riverside setting is among the features that draw visitors and sustain its identity as a market town. The campaign has tapped into a broader concern about the piecemeal loss of publicly accessible land, particularly where the proceeds are intended to plug gaps in school budgets.
For the school, the refurbishment programme is presented as a necessary investment in facilities. The tension is between that immediate need and the longer-term consequences of losing a site that residents regard as part of the town's common inheritance. Neither side disputes that the field is well used; the argument is over whether that use should weigh against the financial return from a sale.
The Saturday gatherings are expected to continue through the autumn, with organisers hoping that sustained turnout will strengthen their case as the sale proposal moves forward. For now, the field remains open, and each weekend it fills with the sounds of children playing — a scene the campaign hopes will persuade decision-makers that the land is worth more than its price.
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