Town Close Playground Refurbishment
After-school visitors and passers-by cannot fail to be impressed with the
recent development that has taken place in Town Close Playground. This was a
£7,500 project part-funded by £6,100 from the Big Lottery Fund, which was
supposed to take a year, but much to the credit of all those involved, managed
to get finished in only 9 months.
The work was co-ordinated by Steve Kent-Phillips and Michelle Burrell, ECDC
Play & Physical Activity Coordinator, ably assisted by Karen King who did
all the administration (which was an awful lot!). The new developments are
considerable, and include general refurbishment and repair to existing
equipment, much painting by Scouts, addition of the famous
"anti-poop" devices, (see Criers passim), cutting back of the trees,
and various additional to health-and-safety aspects: new "safefall"
netting underneath the grass, a self-closing gate and ambulance access.
But the star additions must be the new and completely unique picnic table (its
lower height permits safe access to the roof, and a seating area exclusive to
primary age children) together with the delightful fish motif on the new
"softpour" grounding. Both of these were designed by our own primary
school children.
Many congratulations are due to Steve Kent Phillips, Karen King, Tim Doe and Steve White (scouts), Pam Waters (SP Charities) and Headmistress Emma Vincent on a great project so ably executed.