A project for Damerham to be proud of!
We are delighted that the West Park Meadow Play Trail is now complete and will have its official opening celebration on 21st June.
This will be the culmination of 18 months' hard work by a dedicated group of volunteers from FunQuest (Damerham's charity for children and young people) and Damerham Parish Council. It will also be the largest and most ambitious project to come out of the Damerham Plan, which set out the wishes and aspirations of our community for the future.
The project was funded primarily by the Department for Children, Schools and Families' 'Playbuilder' fund via Hampshire County Council alongside additional financial contributions It has been completed on time and to budget, largely due to the determined efforts of the project team and the appointment of Rik Sturdy Associates, who did a sterling job of managing the design and construction. The achievement is even more remarkable considering the site itself which posed significant challenges - a high water table, a flood exclusion zone (restricting the amount of space available for equipment), difficult access and sensitive environmental factors.
The result is a beautiful, riverside community space with a blend of natural play opportunities for the children such as river dipping, climbing trees and making dens as well as more conventional play equipment such as a basket swing, tunnel and rope bridge. There are plenty of places to sit and enjoy the sunshine, as well as a covered pagoda for shelter if the weather turns.
However, the story doesn't end here, as there is still work to be done to create a wildflower meadow and an area for fruit bushes along with further planting of indigenous bulbs and flowers. As well as every-day recreation, the aim is to hold events on West Park Meadow, using the undulating curves of the landscaped snake (which is a central feature of the site) as natural seating.
Ultimately, we hope residents will have many happy hours enjoying the beauty of the area, forming new friendships and playing with their children and grandchildren.
We would particularly like to thank the residents living next to the site for their patience and good humour through the period of construction and would ask that visitors to the Play Trail are considerate to these residents whose gardens back onto the area.
Where exactly is it?
If you haven't been there before now, West Park Meadow is tucked away between West Park Lane and the river. There are two entrances – the main one is halfway up West Park Lane on the left hand side next to an open, grassy area. The other is closer to the village hall on the same side of the road.
Top marks from the Safety Inspectors!
Safety is obviously of paramount importance to any children's play area. It is essential to ensure compliance with all current regulations and the project team worked closely with RoSPA, (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), to ensure that the West Park Meadow Play Trail meets their strict criteria. This project proved very interesting to the inspectors as the current thinking at Government level is that society has over-protected its youngsters in recent years by insulating them from any form of risk. There is now a strong national emphasis on giving children more practical opportunities to learn about nature and the elements, and play spaces such as ours - which incorporate rivers to play in, trees to climb etc - are viewed very positively.
As a result, RoSPA had nothing but praise for the site, saying in their report that they had taken 'the liberty of entering this excellent site into RoSPA's Play Quality Award Scheme ... the judges have no hesitation in awarding it Five Stars - the top RoSPA Play Quality Award."
Thumbs up from the children!
Kids give the Thumbs UP
The children of Damerham have been involved in this project from the very beginning. From discussion workshops at Western Downland School and the village hall through to designing elements of the site, they have helped us create a truly unique play area.
We're delighted to have seen so many happy faces since the site opened at the beginning of the Easter holidays. The children seem to love the final result, with the basket swing and pirate ship proving particular hits. It has been wonderful to see children of different ages and from all parts of the village coming together and playing so co-operatively. We've already heard some lovely stories about children who previously didn't know anyone of their own age who now have new friends just round the corner!
Here are some of the comments we've had from the children and their parents/grandparents...
'It's lovely. Little children have somewhere to go and play. We play on all the stuff and I can play with my friends. My favourite is the Pirate Ship -we sort of play that we've been captured by pirates and different people rescue us. My brother Jamie is 9 and he likes the swing thing best - he makes it go really really high!' Shannon - aged 7
'The playtrail and West Park Meadow is really good. Everyone using it seems to be enjoying themselves. Our brother Henry is down there all the time - his friends arethere and he can play. Our Mum is happy he's down there having fun but he doesn't always come home on time!'
Raven - aged 14 & Tarn - aged 12
'Absolutely splendid, it's brilliant and I've been 100% supportive all the way along. A village without children isn't a village and thank goodness they've now got somewhere to play. I'm well impressed with how it's turned out and want to say 'Thanks' to all those people who gave time, money and effort.' Ray Leakey – Grandfather
'It's a real life saver for me. The kids are always going down and it's great knowing where they are and that it's just across the road, that they are with their friends and they're pretty safe with everyone looking out for each other.' Isla Leakey – Mother
'My eldest, Ian, loves it all. Alex, the younger one, goes for the Pirate Ship every time - but that's Alex - he's loved it from the first. It's absolutely brilliant. I like to go with the boys to supervise them and all of us Mums get to meet up and have a natter whilst the children play.Because I don't drive, it's absolutely ideal.' Louise Cooper - Mother
'We're using it all the time - the children meet all their friends and play together. In fact I have some difficulty getting them to come home sometimes!' Eloise Sims – Mother
The grand opening – Sunday, 21st June
To mark the official opening of the Play Trail, FunQuest are organising a community celebration on 21st June to which everyone is welcome. It promises to be a lovely afternoon with a barbecue and entertainment from the Treehouse Theatre Company who'll be leading an interactive theatre story about a Superhero Machine! Meet us at the main (north) entrance of the Play Trail at 2pm for the official ceremony and we will then move into the Meadow for the theatre production and barbecue. Any donations of salads for the BBQ would be gratefully received – please call Sarah Bealey on 518420.
Important information for visitors to the Play Trail
We hope that all visitors to the Play Trail will share our sense of pride in the area and ensure it continues to be respected, cared for and enjoyed by the whole community. For this to happen, there are a number of important points that we would respectfully ask residents to observe.
Please...
Ø keep noise levels down in consideration of local residents
Ø keep a close eye on younger children at all times, particularly near the river
Ø leave the site at dusk or 9pm in the summer months
Ø keep dogs on a lead and clear up their mess using the bins provided
Ø respect the equipment we have worked hard to provide for you
Ø have a lovely time!
DOGS!!!
- Please keep them on a lead
- Please clear up any dog mess using bins provided
Remember – dog mess can cause blindness in children
A word of thanks...
The project team would like to say a big thank you to:
Ø Rik Sturdy, for his wonderful design and project management.
Ø Toby Sherwood for providing the fallen tree feature
Ø Richard Nicklen for his help with inspection holes
Ø Mark Hooper for his help with ground clearance
Ø New Forest District Council for their day-to-day support and additional funding
Ø Fordingbridge Rotary for providing funding for the pirate ship
Ø Fluffy Chicks for their financial help.
