SET in 100 acres of Hampshire countryside, Daneshill School is a co-educational school owned by the Duke of Wellington with 300 children aged two to 13 years old. Facilities at the school include an indoor swimming pool, a full size, all-weather pitch, two astro-turf courts and 12 acres of playing fields. In summer 2019, the school secured planning permission for a new sports hall and sports pitch. Kestrel was selected to deliver the full-size hockey pitch. The team pulled up, levelled and re-laid an older multi-use games area to provide interim facilities while the new pitch was being built.

Work started with Kestrel surveying the area in conjunction with the architects to plan and design the pitches’ location, orientation and drainage plan within an agricultural field, which was sprayed off before the topsoil was excavated and kept on site for later use. Lateral, under-pitch, 4m centre, primary drainage channels created to Sport England specification lead to the perimeter open-water channel, which itself leads away to a new attenuation pond. Soil stabilisation was undertaken which facilitated work in the winter months.

Kestrel used its own, licensed drone to survey and monitor progress throughout construction and erected a viewing platform for the teachers and children to see the machinery at work. The pitch is in line with the International Hockey Federation (FIH) standards. The construction profile is a primary stone base with 40mm of 10mil open-graded, base course macadam. The playing surface is Lano sand-dressed artificial carpet laid over a 15mm in-situ shockpad.

Kestrel provided specialist, bespoke hockey goals and tennis nets, with team shelters soon to be installed. The pitch caters for a wide range of sports and is lined for hockey, netball and tennis. Kestrel also erected three metre fencing around the pitch and resin bound pathways on the entrance areas leading to hoggin gravel at the furthest corners.

All parties paid great care to the conservation and environment aspects of the overall design and local suppliers were used where possible. Excess water runs away through an open water channel to a scenic, chestnut and mortice fenced attenuation pond. Kestrel finished the surrounding area with sloping, landscaped grass bunds planted with over 1,500 trees and plants.

“Daneshill provides an intensive programme of sport for all pupils, enabling each child to learn new skills while keeping them fit, active, healthy and happy, no matter what their level of sporting ability is. With sports as diverse as football, lacrosse, rugby, hockey, tennis, rounders and gymnastics being taught, the school’s sporting facilities must be flexible, durable and of the highest quality,”

said Bryony Ellison, bursar at Daneshill.