Waldorf Playing Fields were donated to the people of the Borough of Hyde in 1973 by Newton Mill Ltd. The conveyance of the land contained the following covenant:

"The Corporation [The Mayor Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Hyde] hereby covenants with the Grantors [Newton Mill Ltd] that the Corporation will use the land hereby conveyed as a recreation ground for the use of the residents of Hyde aforesaid and district and to be known as "Waldorf Playing Fields" only PROVIDED ALWAYS that in the event of the Corporation requiring the said land to be used for school purposes only then the Corporation will provide within the boundaries of Hyde a similar plot of land of similar size for the purposes of a recreation ground to be so named as aforesaid and that this covenant shall apply to such substituted land as aforesaid but without this present proviso"

Since then, the land has been used as intended by the residents of the Borough as a free space for Dog Walking, Horse Riding, Football, Flying Model Aircraft, etc. It is a safe place for children, situated well away from any roads. The fields occupy 9.5 acres, and the land is in a designated Green Belt area.

The Borough of Hyde was incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside on 1st April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. In 1986 Tameside became a unitary authority with the abolition of the Greater Manchester County Council.

In August 2005, Dukinfield Golf Club acquired the fields adjacent to Waldorf Playing Fields in order to expand the golf course. You can clearly see that it was always their intention to encroach onto our Playing Fields in their original 2006 planning application here 

Tameside Council now intend to pay Newton Mill Ltd the sum of £32,500 of your taxpayer money in order to lift the covenant, and then sell fields 2 and 3 of the Waldorf Playing Fields to Dukinfield Golf Club.

We do not believe that they have the right to coerce Newton Mill Ltd regarding the covenant, or to sell your land.

View from top of Yew Tree Lane, looking towards the fields and the Rising Moon Pub, circa 1930

View from top of Yew Tree Lane towards Godley Reservoir and Hattersley circa 1960

The Rising Moon Pub, circa 1910

The Rising Moon Pub, circa 1900