Dip Farm was originally part of the Gunton Estate, owned from Victorian times till the mid twentieth century by the Fowler family. Indeed, one former resident of Gunton, Dennis Meadows’ father was the farmer for Dip Farm before and during the war. In 1936 the Dip Farm playing field and pitch and putt area were purchased by Lowestoft Borough Corporation so that the links golf club then on the Gunton Warren, with its club house in Links Road, could expand from a 9-hole golf course to an 18-hole course. 

 

World War Two interrupted these plans and during the war there was a Royal Observer Corps underground post at Dip Farm and concrete defence items such as anti-tank concrete cubes and pill boxes were constructed.

 

Sadly after the Second World War,  the golf club did not recommence and the area remained arable until Pleasurewood Hills was developed in the late 1970s/early 1980s. In return for having access to their theme park from Corton Road over council owned land, Pleasurewood Hills paid for the design and construction of the pitch and putt course and playing fields with changing facilities. Once Leisure Way was constructed off the then A12, (now A47), access to the popular theme park was changed to that route.

 

The pitch and putt course and playing fields continued in public use, until the pitch and putt course was closed on December 31st 2018 as both Waveney District Council, now East Suffolk Council, and Sentinel Leisure who managed the course, felt it could never be profitable. The Friends’ group has stepped into the gap left by Sentinel Leisure.

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When Dip Farm pitch and putt course closed on December 31st 2018, Waveney District Council issued a statement that it would be maintained as public open space. However, local organisations and societies provided sufficient information to Lowestoft Town Council to have the area declared an Asset of Community Value in March 2019 by the district council. 

 

On June 20 2019, following an inaugural meeting at St Peter’s church, Gunton a Facebook page for the Friends of Dip Farm was established and now has around 650 followers.  Meetings were held with the Operations Manager of East Suffolk Council, the landowners at Dip Farm in September 2019 and August 2020 to discuss the organisations ideas about the future of Dip Farm.  On 2nd October 2019 Friends of Dip Farm adopted a constitution, elected officers and committee members, adopted a vision statement, an equality policy and a safeguarding policy. 

 

In March 2020 an Ormiston Denes pupil designed the logo for the group and badges were made. This was made possible through a locality grant from a local Suffolk County Councillor. 

 

We continue to work closely with East Suffolk Council, with whom we have recently signed a memorandum of understanding, while Norse continue with basic maintenance, like emptying bins and mowing the greens.