A community project in Besthorpe, Nottinghamshire, has received over £30,000 from Tarmac’s Landfill Communities Fund to renovate a derelict playground.
Besthorpe resident, Fiona Jones, spent 18 months raising money for the project after finding the playground in a desperate state when she moved to the area with a young family a few years ago.
Speaking of the project Fiona said: “It was sad to see a spot where children are supposed to be playing looking ruined and miserable. It’s great to see it full of life now.”
“We’ve been absolutely delighted to gain significant funding from Tarmac, FCC Communities Foundation (previously known as WREN) and the National Lottery Community Fund to raise over £60,000 for the new facilities. All of the village residents are very thankful for this investment in Besthorpe”.
The Chair of Besthorpe Parish, Sam Gorin, explained “As a Parish, we strongly believe that Besthorpe is a great place to bring up a family. More and more families are moving into the village and we want to provide community spaces that enable our residents to live rewarding and healthy lives and enjoy the benefits of being active in a safe and suitable environment. Fiona’s efforts are a great example to people to get out and help do something for their community because, as we can see, it really pays.“
Ashley Gillard, Besthorpe Quarry Manager said: “Tarmac is proud to be able to support this project to improve the play area and community space for local residents. We hope people will now be able to enjoy this area for years to come.”
Fiona added “As Besthorpe is a popular walking destination for families we expect that other nearby village residents would also use the facilities. By enhancing this currently underused space we’ve improved the facilities for residents and visitors alike. For a number of years, we have worked in partnership with the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. They are mid-way through a multi-year project to develop Besthorpe Nature Reserve, part of a major Tarmac gravel extraction site, which is attracting visitors from a wide area.”
Nottinghamshire County Councillor for Collingham, Maureen Dobson, officially opened the play area on Saturday 4th of May.
