The Sardis Patrols

When the call went out from Pontypridd RFC in late March for volunteers to help patrol around its Sardis Road stadium, in an effort to minimise trespass and vandalism, the club could not have expected such a positive response.

The idea was first mooted by Ponty supporter Simon Hughes whose house overlooks Sardis Road and who had experienced first-hand the amount of uninvited guests who were visiting the ground out of hours and in some cases causing extensive damage.

It was decided to call for help and the number of volunteers who quickly stepped up was overwhelming. A core group of twelve, compromising of club officials and supporters, are now liaising on WhatsApp and making sure that the stadium is patrolled on  a regular basis, morning, afternoon and evening. Some repair work to increase security around the perimeters by fixing metal stanchions and barbed wire, has also been carried out.

The patrols are taking place of course in the middle of the government’s Covid-19 lockdown and are being done within the social distancing guidelines. Despite the ‘stay at home’ policy, unfortunately some instances of trespassing are still being reported.

The volunteers who have helped out with the Sardis Patrols are: Simon Hughes; Martin Price; Philippa Garratley; Russell Davies; Kathryn Leyton; Charlie Otley; Dennis Ridley; Alex Davies; Alun Lloyd Davies; Mark Davies; Steve Reardon; Guto Davies.