A public meeting was held at Milwich Village Hall on Wednesday 22nd April to discuss the future of the Milwich Play Area. This was attended by 14 people with an interest in the future of the playground.
Hayley Walters outlined the progress to date and the possible costs of a refurbishment. So far the Borough Council had indicated their willingness to maintain new equipment provided that it was to their requirements, however there was no funding forthcoming from them at this time.
Various schemes had been proposed by potential suppliers and these were available for review. A likely overall cost for a new play area comprising of 5 pieces of equipment, suitable safety surfacing, new paths and entrance gates, new landscaping including grass, trees and wild flower areas would be £40-£45,000 however this could be reduced by members of the community undertaking some of the work voluntarily. To date £2,500 has been raised and profits from the Milwich Music Festival in July will be split equally between the Church and the Play Area. Sources of grant aid for the remainder are being investigated, the most likely source being the Lottery Funds.
A question was asked about the number of children that could benefit. These figures were not available at the time. Apparently there are 43 children at Green Lea including the pre-school.
Since the meeting these figures have been collated: From the 2011 census it is known that there were 50 children in the age range 0-14 years with 60% of these below 9 years old. These figures compare favourably with the statisics gathered at the time the Milwich Parish Plan was produced (2009). There is an additional 21 children in Fradswell (52% under 9) where there is no equipped play area. The current play area is also frequently used by older people bringing their grandchildren. From the census there are 121 people between the ages of 60-84 years in Milwich parish (61 in Fradswell).
A question was asked about the planned age range for the play area. Currently this is for children up to 12 years of age and at present there was no plan to change this. A question was raised about the possibility for a playground for the over 60’s! Another issue raised was the difficulty of finding the area and the lack of parking nearby.
A lot of good suggestions and comments were received and discussed. The general consensus was that this facility needs to remain and therefore needs upgrading to attract current and future generations. A seating area was considered a must together with improved planting (a sensory garden for example).
It was felt that volunteers would be forthcoming for physical work, as and when the time arose. In the meantime quite a few fundraising ideas were discussed. A number of people volunteered to form a small committee to assist with fundraising and also design of the finished area. Hayley will call a meeting soon to further these matters.
A competition was launched with prizes in two age ranges to get the children’s ideas of what they would like to see in the play area. Please see the website for more details.
Anyone wishing to get involved or just provide suggestions is encouraged to e-mail to play@milwich.com or to contact Hayley direct on 01889 505348.
Milwich Parish Website 