Snakey Park

An update from the Friends of Snakey Park

I would like to start by saying how lovely it is to see the park being enjoyed by so many families. When we started the project we spent a lot of time talking about the wider social benefits of open play space. Playgrounds are not just a place for children to play but a place for families to spend time together, for friendships to form and for people feel a part of the community.

It’s great to see this happening in our little village.

We may have been quiet over the last few months but we have been busy! We have two park developments that we are currently working on. The first is some more play equipment that has been funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy (otherwise known as section 106), this is money given by developers to help improve community facilities when new housing developments are built. We are expecting these funds to be released in the next couple of months and we have agreement to put in some baby swings, a new type of roundabout and a climbing frame similar to the one pictured.

We have also been working on a larger, longer term project to provide some skate ramps. Some of you may remember we carried out an online survey. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to complete it; you provided us with some really interesting ideas as well as proving that there is overwhelming support for both the park and the idea of skate ramps.

When we asked you what new equipment you would like to see in the park, skate ramps were the most popular by far and 69% of people who responded said that they or someone in their family would use the ramps.

Since this time we have put a paper forward to the Parish Council and they have kindly agreed to add any new ramps to the existing park management arrangements, meaning that they will underwrite the project and cover the costs related to insurance and maintenance, and will offer practical assistance to help us purchase the ramps.

The proposed site is adjacent to the park and is currently occupied by the white storage container. The land belongs to the OMHG site and they have agreed to us putting the ramps there.

Projects such as this work so much better when we can trust other communities bodies to be helpful, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank both the parish council and the management committee at OMHG for their support.

We hope to be able to provide an area that can be used by a broad range of sports including

Skateboarding,
Scooting,
roller-skating,
inline skating and even
BMX biking.

These sports listed above have several benefits in common; all require a level of perseverance and practice to become competent, all aid physical fitness and carry an important social element. Young people are able to meet, form friendships and learn from one another. This is particularly important for young men who benefit from friendships based around activities. Young people who have been able in engage in sports like skating are more likely to be socially engaged, physically fit and less likely to suffer from the lethargy and boredom that can lead to antisocial behaviour.

Our next steps will include getting a focus group together to help plan the design, putting the project out to tender and raising the approximately £60k needed to provide some decent ramps.

If you have any queries or would like to get involved in the project or attend the focus group please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

Jen Empson, Kevin Dalby and Mark Cousins

Email: snakeypark@hotmail.com or find us on Facebook