Estate’s dream of a play park a reality
...AND IT COULDN’T HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME
ACOMMUNITY which has longed for a purpose built play area ‘for decades’ finally has one – after three years of planning.
The Maesgeirchen housing estate in Bangor was given the go ahead to use £150,000 grant funding to build a play park in 2017, and after years of meetings, planning permission and work, the community is finally looking forward to opening a new social hub.
The play area will include flower beds, picnic tables and a zipline – the first of its kind in any play park in Gwynedd.
According to Gwynedd county councillor Nigel Pickavance, who has been a driving force behind the planning of the fun zone, its opening ‘couldn’t have come at a better time’.
The global situation has not only proven how invaluable outdoor spaces are to people’s physical and mental wellbeing, but has shown the importance of community spirit and socialising in times of hardship.
The councillor of eight years revealed that he was ‘overjoyed’ to see the plans finally become reality and was looking forward to seeing the opening of the social hub at the heart of the Gwynedd community.
“Once the consultation was done in 2017, we made a list of priorities and one priority was to ask the community what they wanted,” he said.
“Nearly everyone said they wanted a play park.
“Having lived here all my life, I knew that it was something my community had wanted for decades, and I felt that now was the opportunity to kick start that dream.”
With the aid of numerous organisations, such as Funzone, PMP, MaesNi, BCT, Adra, North Wales Housing, Bangor City Council, Wild Elements, Cyngor Gwynedd and additional funding from Comic Relief and that
Incredible Edible, the councillor also wanted to get another group involved in the exciting project.
He added: “I felt it was important to get young people involved in this project. Not only was it something for them to do but essentially something they could take ownership of and make it their own.
“Our first meeting garnered over 40 young people who wanted to take part in the project, and we started brainstorming all sorts of ideas – big and small.
“This play park will include wild flowers, picnic tables, different activities, and a zip line – the first to ever be built in a Gwynedd play park.
“It’s been a long journey, and at first, it felt like it was a slow and complicated process.
“But over the last six months, we’ve really developed this place and the kids are already getting excited.
“They played a massive role in this and it’s only right that they will be the ones to cut the ribbon when it opens.”
One volunteer who has been a part of the project since the beginning is 11-yearold Ruby Williams.
The Ysgol Friars pupil revealed that she was excited to see the play park finally open. “Even though it’s not opened yet, it looks amazing. I’m really excited to try out the zip line, I think that will be the best part. My friends and I have been working on it for three years, we’re looking forward and almost thankful that we’ve got this space now to meet up and do different things.
“There’s not a lot of places like this in Bangor, so it’s nice to have something different here. It’s also really important to have something for us to do, keep us entertained and connect with friends.”
Nigel Pickavance also agreed and revealed that the past few months had shown why it was so important to have such spaces for close-knit communities due to the global situation.
“I feel that the last couple of months, although unprecedented and difficult, has proven what’s important in our community,” he said.