New swing is huge hit at playground
Children jumped at the chance to try out a new swing at a community-run playground in Dorney last week.
The playground in Trumpers Field beside Dorney School is ‘hugely popular’, with children enjoying its play area, basketball nets and a free-to-use tennis court.
But the playground receives no support for its upkeep other than what the community can fundraise – which for the new timber snake swing, came in at around £15,000.
“I want to say a massive, massive thank you to everyone who helped us,” said Dorney Playground Management Group chair Maria Holloway.
“Without everyone who’s supported us we simply would never have been able to achieve this for the playground.” Maria said the new swing was a great addition to the playground which was loved by schoolchildren and those visiting Dorney Village Hall.
“After school you’ve probably got about 40 children that use it, its hugely popular,” she added.
“Every single day when I take my little girl to school there will be kids there.
“When I got there early the other morning I saw five or six kids playing, it’s a lovely place.”
The playground is run by a dedicated team of six volunteers from Dorney Playground Management Group.
The charity was set up to manage the playground after funding from the local authority stopped almost 10 years ago.
Every year it undertakes a significant fundraising effort, including running events and a tuck shop, to keep the playground in working order.
Maria, who has been chair of the charity for less than a year, said she decided to get involved with supporting the playground after seeing how much children enjoyed using it and a plea from her daughter.
“I was at the playground and there was a very passive aggressive sign on the tuck shop window that said ‘tuck shop closed because nobody bothered to volunteer’ and my little girl asked me if I could do it,” she said.
“I wasn’t sure at the time, but I did get involved in it and months later here I am.”
Maria has helped arrange for a petting zoo to visit the playground this summer, as part of the ongoing campaign to raise much-needed funds for the playground.
“It’s a lot of money that we have to raise every year,” said Maria.
“I think to maintain it: getting someone to strim around it, getting an annual safety check on it and – of course – maintaining it, is around
£6,000 a year.”
The charity is now looking to add a new fence around the playground to help children stay safe, but this too comes at a cost.
Maria said: “You would not believe how much a fence for this playground is going to cost – its about £18,000.
“We’ve got a fundraiser going for £15,000 and we’re hoping to get some other funding too.”
She continued: “I don’t think we’re realistically going to get that fence in this year, hopefully we’ll have a grand opening in 2025.”
Maria said she wanted to thank Simon Brades and John Hellmuth for their donations which helped get the new swing built.
To find out more about Dorney Playground visit its Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/78kx7wzt
And to donate, visit: https://tinyurl.com/46973x6k