News article
A playground is born
(Article written by Sarah Simm)
Over the last few weeks, the streets of the village have been filled with whispers, rumours, gasps and excited shrieks as the construction of the new playground has turned from a hope of many into a reality. In our family, I’m not sure who is more excited, myself, or my four year old daughter. During the first week we visited to observe the progress every day!
The first phase of construction is currently underway. This phase includes the decommissioning of the old play equipment that was situated outside the fence, the laying of new flooring and the construction of many new items of play equipment. These include: the large multi-use structure containing slides, climbing walls, monkey bars, bridges and lots more, a basket swing, see saw, trampoline and zip wire, to name only a few. Dependent on weather and a few other factors this section of the playground should be opening mid-August, just in time to make the most of it during the second half of the summer holiday!
“Phase 2” relies on a few grant applications, most of which are closed at the moment due to the pandemic however, now the work has started we are very keen to complete the build and will be pushing this forward as quickly as possible. This phase not only includes the refurbishment of the current toddler equipment, but also the construction of a beautiful wooden trim trail and other items on the children’s wish list such as the “birds nest” climbing structure.
All the equipment within the new playground was selected following consultation with many members of the community – from the parents of toddlers through to all years of Bishop’s Tachbrook Primary School, local groups, such as Rainbows and teenagers from around the village. They say you can’t please everyone but we have certainly tried our best!
Our vision is for a park for all ages and family members to not only come to enjoy but also to socialise, learn, laugh and make memories. We are extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to create such an area and hope that we have done what we set out to do.