Perseverance ‘plays off’!

Perseverance ‘played off’ for a community group in Church Warsop when a new £70,000 Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) opened its gates.

The Church Warsop Tenants and Residents Association had been campaigning to provide play facilities for older children in Church Warsop for a number of years.

They teamed up with Mansfield District Council to submit a bid for funding for Big Lottery Play Fund early in 2008, as part of a district-wide bid for money to support play projects.

The Council was successful in attracting just over £280,000 in funding and the Church Warsop MUGA, based at Wood Lane Recreation Area is the first of the ‘built’ projects to be completed.

The space will follow the ethos of the play fund; it will be free of charge, young people will be free to come and go as they please and choose what they do whilst there. There will also be some organised play activities, delivered by the Mansfield Play Forum and Notts County Council`s play services.

Other projects being funded by the Big Lottery Play Fund grant include a new Skate Plaza at Fisher Lane Park, Mansfield and a team of Play Rangers working on behalf of the Mansfield Play Forum. The rangers will be providing play activities at venues across the district until 2010.

Coun Eddie Smith, Portfolio Holder for the Environment and Play Champion at Mansfield District Council said: “The Multi-Use Games Area at Church Warsop is a fantastic, free facility which I am sure will be extremely well used by local youngsters.

“These are exciting times for our young people and there is a real recognition of the value of play in their development. In addition to the Big Lottery funds, the district has also been allocated Playbuilder money to develop even more play opportunities.”