Friends of Sir Joseph Hood
Memorial Playing Field
Activities
Crazy Golf
The Crazy Golf is owned by the Council but run by the Friends from The Hut on a seasonal basis. The Friends funded refurbishment of the mini golf which we were delighted to open in July 2022. The golf course offers you 18 different holes to play. To get round the course you'll have to negotiate some tricky challenges, including spirals, bridges, humps, ditches and more! Since the Crazy Golf is run on a voluntary basis to coincide with The Hut, opening hours, are subject to change.
We publicize the opening times on this Website where possible. We also put up signs in the park, but for the most up to date information check our Facebook page
Price per round of golf is £2 – receive a stamp and come back any time during opening hours.
There are so many things to do and enjoy at Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Field! There is a playground and paddling pool for children and play equipment for older children, ball games courts, sports pitches, crazy golf, cycle path, and more.
Or you can simply take a gentle stroll around the park, enjoy the woodland and wildflower meadows, and finish up with a well-deserved rest and refreshments at the Café in the Hut during holiday periods!
To find out more about the things you and your family can enjoy, simply select from the many activities listed on the right of this page.
Cycle Path and Trim Trail
The whole circuit of the park measures 1KM – which is a good way of calculating your distance if you are a runner/jogger. Running all the way around the playing field, the cycle path combined with the outdoor gym offer superb fitness facilities.
The cycle path was completed in 2008 and provides a widened path right round the field, enabling the many visiting cyclists, joggers and walkers to travel the path together in safety.
Five-a-Side, Tennis and Basketball
In one corner of the park are the four, fully-equipped tennis courts which are currently available free!
There is a Free multisports area which boasts a five-a-side pitch which is enclosed with seating for spectators. Juniors and teens alike can enjoy a game, spurred on by friends and family on the side-lines. Two basketball hoops mean this space can also be used as a basketball court.
Next to the five-a-side pitch is the main basketball court – also free to use. Currently there is a Playball scheme sponsored by Sports England. When The Hut is open you can borrow a basket ball to play by signing it in and out. Two lower and two higher hoops allow the smallest to the tallest player to practise their shots. Between the hoops, the marked court provides ample play space.
Little League Football
Little League Football is a registered charity that provides free football for children aged 7-12 at Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Field.
Raynes Park Little League meets every Saturday throughout the football season in the park. Bantam, Junior and Senior teams train and play against local teams.
For more information, visit the Raynes Park Little League website
Motspur Park Football Club
Motspur Park Football Club runs a Sunday league aswell as other games.
For more information, visit the Motspur Park Football Club website
Wimbledon Hawks Australian Rules Football Club
Sir Joseph Hood Memoria Playing Field is home to the Wimbledon Hawks Australian Rules Football Club in London. Their Season starts after the football finishes and is great fun to watch. Please see their website for further information
Pavilion
Built in the 1930s, the Pavilion includes a main hall with capacity for up to 60 people. To the front is an attractive fenced, grassed area with flowerbeds. The building also has four changing rooms, showers, toilets with disabled access and a kitchen adjoining the main hall.
The pavilion is available to hire for your personal or group events and is owned by Merton Council and managed by ID Verde. Find out more on the following link: www.merton.gov.uk/leisure/sport/facilities/pavilionhire.htm
Playground
The playground, with its many fun facilities for little ones, is one of the most popular destinations in the park. The paddling pool attracts families from across the community on sunny days during the summer, but is under constant threat of closure (see Paddling Pool).
The clean, fenced play area, shaded by trees, provides a variety of safe play equipment for younger children plus picnic tables and seating. Swings, slides, climbing frames, the toddler play area and more are hugely popular.
The play area was refurbished through the Play Pathfinder Project some years ago to include a zip wire, tractor tyre swing, climbing boulders, spinner, landscaping mounds and balancing logs. New picnic tables have been installed - one of which has been financed by the Friends and a table tennis table.
Paddling Pool
The current paddling pool has been in place since the 1930s and opens six weeks of the year during the school summer holidays. The council annually reviews their budget and during such reviews the Paddling Pool is always under threat due to (amongst other reasons) its high running and maintenance costs.
Friends of the Park have regularly campaigned to keep the existing paddling pool open. From the beginning of 2017, IDVerde - a private company - took over the maintenance of Green Spaces for the Council at Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Field and the Paddling Pool now falls under their remit. The Friends continue to monitor the impact of these changes and were delighted that the pool was repaired and opened and ran for the majority of the very hot summer in 2022. Find out more about our campaigning.
Rascals Softplay
Rascals provides fun for children aged 0 - 5, with a bouncy castle, ball pool, ride-on toys and lots more, all set in the Pavilion in the park!
There is a baby area with nappy change and bottle warming facilities.
Enjoy homemade cakes, cappuccinos, toasted panninis and healthy children's lunch boxes in Rascals Cafe. Full takeaway menu available.
Rascals is open 9.30-5.00 Monday to Friday all year round (except bank holidays) and is also available for private parties on Sundays.
Find out more on the Rascals Softplay website or you can call Rachel / Mark on 07721 021 290 for more details.
Woodland and Wildflower Meadows
A quiet stroll through the green and peaceful paths in the woodland is a must for all nature lovers. The Memorial Wood is a mature oak woodland, planted in the 1860s. It is a designated local nature reserve and attracts many woodland birds, including rarer species in the area, like the nuthatch and treecreeper. Beverley Brook runs along the western edge of the woodland.
In 1999 the Millennium Woodland was planted alongside with trees grown from acorns collected from the original woodland.
The playing field also includes designated wildflower meadow areas, attracting wildlife of many types. Walking through the park in summer, you can spot a variety of butterflies, dragonflies and birds. In the evenings, you may be lucky and see some resident bats taking flight!
