Crossgates is a small village community. At its heart lies Windmill Knowe park which has a combination of play equipment, play space and open greenspace. The school is nearby and the area is used on a daily basis by children, families and dog walkers. However, the current play equipment in the park has been there for many years, is old and worn and offers limited play value. In addition there is limited recreational facilities and no inclusive play facilities within the village.  Therefore, upgrading and enhancing the play park to offer inclusive and attractive equipment would benefit not just the children, but parents, grandparents and others within the village community. Our intention is to create an area with interesting, inclusive, safe, new equipment catering for a wide range of ages and abilities, creating a sense of community and channelling energies into positive, healthy activities.

The community have been involved in shaping the project from the beginning through an online survey. The school children, who will benefit most from the project, were asked to design their ideal or dream play park as a home learning task during the initial school closure at the start of the pandemic. The ideas were wide ranging but there were some definite recurring themes, namely a zip wire, basket swing, monkey bars and equipment that everyone could access. These ideas and suggestions have shaped the plans drawn up (and costed) to deliver a project that will meet the shared needs and desires for all age groups in the village and surrounding area, so that the area is available for the whole community and visitors to enjoy.

The proposed equipment is designed to encourage active play for a wide age range and so promote a healthier, more active lifestyle for our local young people. We believe that an attractive, up-to-date play park will not only attract local young people and remove the necessity to travel elsewhere to access play facilities but will also draw more people to our community, and thereby also support our small local businesses. Improvements to the facilities which our village can offer visitors as well as residents, can only have a positive impact on our local economy. The inclusion of football goals is considered necessary to address a road safety issue. Currently children use two trees as goal posts. In any other position this would be ideal, however, in this case the ball goes between the trees (the “goal”) and runs directly onto the road of Windmill Knowe and poses a road safety concern. Protecting the greenspace and having unrestricted access to this valuable community open space asset is a key feature of this project.

The project is expected to cost £140,000 to deliver in full. To date we have secured £84,778.25

TEXT Donation

You can support the Crossgates Playpark development by text message!!

To make a donation, text 'CROSSGATES' to 70085 to donate £5. This costs £5 plus a std rate message. Alternatively, you can opt to give any whole amount up to £20. Text "CROSSGATES20" to donate £20.