The Welney Website

Childrens play equipment to be removed from Welney Playing Field

page created 12th Sept 2006, amended/updated Tuesday, 02 November 2010

an article in the "Cambs Times"
12th September 2006

The Parish Council chairman has pledged to remove the dilapidated play equipment from a village playing field himself.

Councillor Ken Goodger has already used his own farm machinery to take the worst of the play items away from the overgrown and neglected site and with no volunteer help forthcoming says he will remove the rest. The play area was once looked after by a playing field committee which was disbanded and responsibility for its upkeep passed to the Parish Council.

Answering criticism from some villagers that the council was given £4,000 from the village gala specifically to improve the area back in 2004, Mr Goodger says youngsters can look forward to a new play area once plans are given the go-ahead for a community centre.

He said: "The site for the new hall has not been set in stone yet and we thought it would be prudent to site a new play area adjacent to the hall. The play area is in a dark, nasty corner and when we inherited it from the playing field committee it was already dilapidated. People are very fond of criticising but not so fond of volunteering to do things."

"Four thousand pounds would buy a slide and two nodding horses. We would need around £20,000 for a play area. The most expensive thing is the flooring. Yes, the equipment there is old and needs to come out but it is not a five minute job."

Fellow councillor, Mark Brown said: "Everyone is keen that the £4,000 in the pot is not just frittered away to patch up something which is not suitable but I completely understand the frustration of villagers who think it is a lot of money."

Webmaster's update to above report: Cllr. Goodger kept his promise and cleared the site, as you can see from the photos below taken on 23rd September.

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Acknowledgements.
We are grateful to the Cambs Times for permission to post this item on the Welney Website.

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