PLAY PARK MEETING – THURSDAY 25th, at 7.30,
in the downstairs function room at the Fisherman’s Rest
We need your help!
The background –
We’ve been very lucky to have these two play areas by the green so that there is a wide range of equipment for all ages and abilities. Both were built with grant money available at the time, and they gave us a playpark which has been the envy of many another village, and of many of our friends and holiday visitors. These two areas are parish owned and run, and are the responsibility of the parish council to keep in good repair, and safe for use.
Both areas have had equipment that is designed for inventive and challenging play for their appropriate ages, and because of their open setting beside the green and Pittens and the stream, wooden structures were chosen for both of them. However, apparently the wood used in building them wasn’t properly treated, and so it’s going to be difficult and expensive to maintain. The parish council has some big decisions here. The play area for the smaller children isn’t so badly affected, and is manageable at present, but it’s a different story for the climbing frame and other wooden installations for the older age group which will be much more tricky to keep in good repair. It’s anticipated that it will need substantial payments to keep it up to standard to pass the annual insurance and licence inspections.
We need your help please!
The parish council needs to know what our young families want. Large amounts could be spent on annual maintenance but would it be better spent on replacing some or all of the older children’s equipment ? If so – in stages? Or all at once? And what should replace it? We have already decided that we want to keep a play area that offers the same amount of enjoyment and challenging excitement, but most of all, we need the input from families who are our play area users.
A meeting will be held on April 25th, at 7.30 in the function room at the pub – it’s open to everyone who is interested. It will be an opportunity to understand the problems our council is faced with, and to discuss with parent or grandparent users the best way to tackle it without affecting our young families too much. Suggestions from anybody who has good ideas about replacement equipment, grant applications or fundraising will be very valuable, so please come along and have your say!