West Bergholt’s ambitious plans for new £60,000 play area

The West Bergholt Playground Advisory Group was set up in October, after residents made comments about outdated play equipment in the area.

Residents did not want to have to travel to use other play areas outside of West Bergholt, so they decided to raise funds to upgrade facilities at the Lorkin Daniell Field.

The play area there is owned by West Bergholt Parish Council.

Peter Johnson, advisory group member, said: “People were saying how the play equipment is run down and they did not want to travel out of the village.

“Why can’t we have something on par with other villages?

“We did a bit of research asking residents what play equipment they wanted to keep, and what new equipment they would like to see.

“If the parish council does not have access to a parks and recreations fund, it narrows down the options for how we can fund this.

“The whole site is going to cost about £60,000, so we are having to break it down into phases.”

Phase one will cost about £25,000, which should pay for some new equipment, including a zip wire.

The whole project is expected to take up to three years to complete.

Peter added: “We felt there was not a lot available for older children. It is mostly aimed at toddlers, so we want to try to diversify the age range.

“We need to cater for toddlers too as the playgroup uses the facilities.”

A total of £15,000 has already been raised through grants, including £10,000 from Essex County Council and £5,000 from the parish council.

Members of the group have set up a fundraising page to generate another £11,000. The advisory group has also held a number of film nights to raise money.

To help with fundraising, visit www.spacehive.com/lorkin-daniell-field---play-equipment.