CARNIGIE UK Trust and Fields in Trust have launched a new campaign to find and protect over 900 'lost' playing fields across the UK, 16 of which are believed to be in Monmouthshire.

The #FieldFinders initiative aims to locate and catalogue playing fields which were set up with the aid of a grant from Carnegie UK Trust between 1927 and 1935 and ensure that they are legally protected from developers.

Between 1927 and 1935, Carnegie UK Trust allocated the sum of £200,000, equivalent of around £10m today, to over 900 different playing fields in each of the countries of the UK. While some details are known about the towns and cities where these playing fields are, the exact location and details of some of these fields was never centrally recorded.

The #FieldFinders campaign is targeted at local communities across the UK with the aim of local residents finding Carnegie playing fields in their area.

Field finders will have until 31st August to report back via a dedicated web portal about their Carnegie playing field. Members of the specialist Fields in Trust team will then cross reference it with any surviving documentation and begin the process of  improving legal protection of the site to keep it safe for generations to come.

Investigative Field Finders are also being encouraged to share images of the sites using their social media profiles, specifically Twitter and Instagram, to share pictures, using #FieldFinders to help spread the word of the campaign and encourage their friends in other locations to join the hunt.?Kathryn Cook, partnership and communications manager of Fields in Trust who will be working to improve the legal protection to the sites if this is required, said: "We need the public to share as much information as possible about the spaces they believe to be Carnegie playing fields via an online form on our website: http://www.fieldsintrust.org/Carnegie">www.fieldsintrust.org/Carnegie where you can also view examples of Carnegie Playing Fields that we have already found.  

"Of course if you have any photos, do share them with us! This is a very important but labour intensive job and we really need the support of local communities to help us protect these valuable assets for the long term."

#FieldFinders will have their names associated with the parks they have rediscovered alongside the online list so their efforts are recorded and the thanks of future generations can be given.