You may have noticed towards the end of the past season a new disabled toilet block appearing next to the existing toilet facilities. Whilst the block comes pre-fitted, the Wednesday Crew have spent many weeks preparing the site and completing the installation. This called for a variety of skills and therefore a variety of bodies! Before the unit could be moved into place the site had to be cleared, levelled and have footing blocks cemented in place. Sewage drainage and water connections also had to be in place. Once in situ all the connections had to be made and tested. The new yellow ramp and handrail came next along with some fine tuning of the layout of the internal fittings to enable ease of movement within the toilet for a wheelchair user. Luckily John was on hand to guide the crew. There is still a bit of work required to make good tarmac around the unit but hopefully this new facility is a huge improvement from the temporary "Porta loo" previously in its place.
Notwithstanding bitterly cold mornings, torrential rain and a global pandemic, the Wednesday crew have been continuing their ongoing battle against blocked gullies, overflowing drains and a never ending deluge of litter. The drains and gullies outside the away turnstiles continue to be liable to flooding after heavy rain. The soak away is regularly pumped out in an attempt to minimise the impact on matchdays. One of our party has been known to disappear down the exposed drains in an attempt to get to the 'bottom' of the problem. The gullies surrounding the pitch often fill with mud which allows the weeds to grow and impedes the pitch drainage. Quite an undertaking to keep these clear ... and it's a long way around that pitch! The last few weeks have seen many of the crew covered in mud after an all out effort to clear the drainage gully outside the changing rooms. Years of mud and debris were cleared out with most of it being transferred to the hands, face and clothing of those involved and taken home as a souvenir. And finally with so many home games coming up spare a thought for those that step up and clean up after each match. No easy task and I'm sure you can imagine the variety of rubbish that passes through our nice new club coloured bins. This all creates a lovely 'soup' in the bottom of each receptacle so last week each bin was hosed out and cleaned... not a a pleasant job at all.
The wait for football back at the SkyEx may have seemed like an eternity but there still didn't seem to be enough weeks left to tick off the essential work required around the ground before the big kick off. Luckily we've had some new faces join the Wednesday Maintenance team and with everyone rolling up their sleeves (and trousers for those heading down the drains) we got there. No Wednesday is ever quite the same and the pictures show a good example of the variety of tasks to be tackled. Unfortunately the weeds haven't been furloughed, so many a week has been spent attacking these in the car park , around the pitch and along the entrance to the ground. Over-flowing drains outside the 'Away' turnstiles is an ongoing and continuing problem despite being pumped dry and all the drainage gullies cleared. Without doubt one of the most essential tasks is the cleaning of the beer pipes in the bar - we now have a resident 'expert'! With a new league sponsor updated signage around the pitch and at the entrance has been put in place. The stand has been swept and the litter cleared - and hopefully we can keep it that way with the help of the newly acquired bins in the club colours and sporting the Hayes & Yeading badge. Even the goal posts have been cleaned and painted. With such a big site there's always work to do, but with the new recruits we are now running with optimal numbers in the team. If anyone wants to help in the future don't hesitate to contact the club and when a resource hungry task comes along you'll be the first to hear the rally cry!
Over the coming weeks and months, we'll use the Club's website to show some examples of both recent and current work. A great example of teamwork, where everyone got involved was the external refurbishment of the main toilet block. This was completed in the Pre COVID era ahead of the start of the 2020/21 season, but with so few games played since then you may have missed it! This involved rubbing down and preparation of both the roof and sides. Coating the roof with a specialised sealant and a good couple of coats of durable paint on the sides .... and making sure the "Ladies" and "Gents" signs were put back on the correct doors! Just in case you've forgotten the state it was in here are a few before, during and after pictures. If anybody has some spare time, or just wants to get out of the house, the team can be found at the ground most Wednesday mornings, feel free to come along and lend a hand, or two.