Play gets a timely boost
Released: 20 March 2008
Wolverhampton’s play areas are to be transformed thanks to lottery funding totalling nearly £300,000.
Wolverhampton City Council has secured the money from the BIG Lottery Fund to help develop four state-of-the-art play areas in parks across the city.
The largest grant, for £84,000, will see the development of a new play area in Dovecotes, Pendeford, close to the recently restored 17th century dovecote that gives the area its name.
Residents said it was one of their top priorities and local youngsters will be involved in choosing what sort of equipment they would like.
Springvale Park in Ettingshall will also get a new play area thanks to a £76,000 grant which will replace one which was well used until it was wrecked by vandals three years ago.
It will be developed in keeping with the spirit of the park, a former stone quarry, which has been colonised by a wide range of flora and fauna. Again, young people will have their say about what sort of equipment they would like to see there.
In Low Hill, a grant of £62,384 will help refurbish Peach Tree Play Area. It was created by residents and the local community association and won an award in the 1980s, but following the demise of the community group it fell into disrepair and is no longer in use.
The city council has recently taken over responsibility for the play area and is working with children to create an innovative play space for both children and young people.
Meanwhile at Ashmore Park, plans are being drawn up to redevelop the existing playground, installing traditional equipment and upgrading the popular BMX track to national standard. The BIG Lottery Fund is supporting the project with a grant of £70,000.
Councillor Paula Brookfield, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “These play spaces will help out children and young people, in making a positive contribution through their input into the design of the spaces, in being healthy and providing safe environments in which children and young people can experience challenges.”
Councillor John Reynolds, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture, added: “We are very grateful to the BIG Lottery Fund for supporting these projects which will enable us to make big improvements to play provision within Wolverhampton.
“We look forward to opening these new play areas for our young people to use over the next few years.”
The funding is part of a larger £693,407 grant from the BIG Lottery Fund which will also develop a play ranger service, extend the existing Special Days for Special People programme and launch Access to Play.
This innovative scheme will give children and young people with a range of special needs the chance to access a choice of exciting play opportunities that, without additional support, they may otherwise miss out on.
Meanwhile the city council is busy regenerating a number of other parks over the coming months.
The work will see Hickman Park in Bilston restored to its original design thanks to Heritage Lottery Funding, Wednesfield Park and King George V Playing Fields get a £1.5 million European Redevelopment Fund makeover including improvements to the existing play area and the creation of a new skate plaza, as well as the creation of a better play area at Phoenix Park in Blakenhall funded by All Saints and Blakenhall Community Development (ABCD).
ABCD is also funding a new play area at Bromley Street, Blakenhall, while the city council has plans for further playgrounds across the city and is in the process of investigating possible funding.
Issued by the press office.