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Campaign Success
Campaign Success
May’s Field belongs to the community of Topsham! The purchase from Salter Property completed on Friday, August 14. Just over nine months ago our community was threatened with the loss of this 9.1 acres of green space, with all the resultant disruption, additional traffic, damage to nature, threat to the bird reserve, the likelihood of more pollution in our rivers, and so on. Due to our wonderful community coming together as a concerted team, we have not only successfully opposed the planned development but May’s Field will be conserved for the benefit of the community for generations to come.
The Mays Action Group first and foremost wants to thank a great many people who gave considerable time to the campaign: the more than 450 individuals who so generously donated to purchase this invaluable asset for our community; the street reps who blanketed Topsham with leaflets; the 400 people who wrote letters of objection to Salter Property, the 250 people who demonstrated in April; the Topsham Community Association (TCA) for its agreement to act for us until our charitable foundation is set up; and the local politicians across political divides who supported us in our endeavours.
May's Field Open Days
May's Field Open Days
We are really pleased to welcome you to one of two Community Visit Days on 12 and 20 September 2026 - 10am to 4pm.
A lot of work has been done by our many willing volunteers who have been making the field safe for your visit. However, remember that May’s Field was a working market garden. It has not been maintained for many years and brambles and nettles grow freely in the fields and woodland. The stock fencing around the fields has had the barbed wire removed from the top rail but some strands of it may remain so please avoid it.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU ENTER THE WOODLAND – KEEP STRICTLY TO THE PATHWAY – The woodland is not safe as it is full of brambles, undergrowth and unstable branches and trees.
Please take care when visiting and take sensible precautions
Wear sensible footwear and ideally wear long trousers
If you have a dog with you please keep it on the lead
Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult
Look out for trip hazards, brambles, nettles etc.
Take care on uneven ground and avoid trip hazards
Please take away all your rubbish etc and leave the field as you find it
If you notice something that you think is unsafe, please let one of the welcome party know as you leave.
We would like to thank all our willing volunteers who have worked hard to make the Field safe for the Open days.
Work will now turn to planning next steps to get the field open every day and making the access to the Field secure. We will also be developing a long-term plan for the Field with options to be considered and a consultation where you can put forward ideas about how you would like the Field to be used by the community.
Formation of a Charitable Trust
For now, the buyer from Salter Property is the Topsham Community Association, which “owns” the land until the establishment of our Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) that will own and preserve May’s Field for the community. The name will be the May’s Field Community Land Trust and work is underway to obtain registration with the Charity Commission.
Members of the community will be invited to continue their support of May’s Field by becoming members of the CIO. However, as with the Goat Walk fields, access to May’s Field will not require membership.
A number of Topsham residents have volunteered to be the initial trustees. They are, with the roles they will be taking up, are Janet Bush (Communications), Paul Gledhill (IT), James Hancock (Secretary), James Measures (Site Management), Tim Oldridge (Membership & Legal), Mark Stott (Chair), and Ed Ufland (Treasurer). All the trustees will have to retire at the first AGM and their re-election approved by the membership.
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