Work starts on Melton’s new £100k destination play park

Members of Melton Mowbray Town Estate, from left, junior townwarden, Tim Webster, chair of feoffees, John Southerington and senior townwarden, Ian Wilkinson, pictured today at the start of work on the new destination play park in the town EMN-200615-182107001

A range of equipment will be installed on The Queen Elizabeth II Field Play Close to suit both able bodied and disabled youngsters aged up to 15.

The scheme, which is also expected to attract families from further afield, follows a campaign by parents in the town calling for better play equipment to be provided for their children with many saying they had to take them elsewhere because the existing facilities are outdated, ageing and not attractive for children to use.

Among the new facilities will be a multiplay unit which can be used by up to 42 children at once, including those with disabilities, a zip wire and an AbilitySwing, which enables a wheelchair to be secured safely to it. Existing equipment in the play area will also be replaced or refurbished.

A graphic showing the planned destination play park being built now in Melton's Play Park EMN-200615-182205001

Melton Mowbray Town Estate, which owns and maintains the park, has been collaborating on the destination play park scheme with Melton BID and Melton Borough Council.

Contractors, Kompan, are on site now and the town estate expects them to finish the new play park by the middle of July.

It will then depend on whether the government has relaxed Covid-19 restrictions sufficiently to allow children to use public play equipment if youngsters get to use it straight away.

The project is being mainly funded through a grant from FCC Communities Foundation, a not-for-profit business which awards money for community projects through the Landfill Communities Fund.

A financial contribution was also donated from The Romaney Fugill Memorial Fund, a not-for-profit charity fund set up in memory of a local little girl who died 15 years ago, to pay for the Ability Swing, two Mirage Swings and refurbishment of the existing AbilityWhirl equipment.

John Southerington, chair of feoffees for the town estate, believes the facility will make a huge difference to the lives of families living in the area as well as drawing others into the town to visit town businesses and help the local economy.

The destination play park forms phase one of the town estate’s pledge to upgrade equipment in Melton parks - additional funding will be needed for the planned phase two, which would involve improving play equipment on the adjoining Wilton Park, where the tennis courts are based off Leicester Road.