Facelift needed for play park in one of Cornwall's largest villages
Parents fundraising to transform the children's playground in one of the largest villages in Cornwall are calling for help from our £££s for People campaign.
Pensilva's only play park dates from the 1970s, and is urgently in need of being brought up to date.
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Members of the Pensilva Park committee in the playground they hope to transform with help from the £££s for People campaign
The Pensilva Park Committee, a group of parents, hope to install a brand new park with equipment for all ages, from tots to teenagers, by next summer.
The village, between Callington and Liskeard, has 290 under 18s, and there is not enough for them to do, say committee members.
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They are involving the teenagers of the village in designing and fundraising for the park, in the hope that this will cut down on problems with anti-social behaviour.
"The park has been in place since the 1970s, and is gradually being condemned piece by piece, and not replaced," says chairperson Clare Lambert. "We are one of the biggest villages in Cornwall and we really should have one of the best parks. In fact, though, we have one of the worst parks.
"We are trying to build a park that caters for all ages from tots to teenagers. We have been consulting the teenagers, and they are helping to raise funds for it so they are involved in the project, and attached to it and hopefully will look after it."
She said that the playground as it stood was very limited, with just a small slide, swings and seesaw, and that equipment was unsafe.
"We want to fund more challenging things," she says. "The children are using the toddlers' swing as a climbing frame, and climbing the hedge, because there is nothing more challenging. We want to be able to provide more innovative equipment."
The community has been consulted about what they would like to see included in the park, and the committee has been quoted £94,000 to turn their plans into reality.
Members say that a grant from the £££s for People campaign would help the park go ahead by next summer.
"We are working hard to achieve that," says Clare. "Money from this campaign will go towards replacing the condemned pieces of equipment that are deemed unsafe. We will also provide safe surfacing and are choosing equipment wisely with high health and safety from reputable play equipment specialists."
Also looking for help from the campaign is Warbstow Youth Club. The club provides a place for young people to meet, socialise and take part in activities in this remote village in North Cornwall.
The club meets in Warbstow Community Hall every Friday evening. The young people, aged 11-19, have access to sports equipment, a pool table, a games console, laptop and music. There are quiet places for people to chat, and during the summer they use the field outside the hall for sport.
The club also organisers outings for its young members, which have including ice skating, tree surfing and a visit to Dartmoor zoo.
The young people raise some of the money for their activities through fundraising events, but are calling for a contribution from the £££s for People campaign to add to this. They would also like to buy a film projector so they can have film nights.
The Western Morning News has joined forces with the Devon and Cornwall Community Foundations to run the £££s for People campaign, which is offering £20,000 to community groups across Devon and Cornwall.
Sixty groups – 30 in Cornwall and 30 in Devon – have been shortlisted for a share of the prize money, with votes from WMN readers deciding how the money is divided. There is £10,000 available to distribute in each county, with every group on the shortlist guaranteed a minimum of £100.
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