Active Kingston
Active
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Active
The committee and other members of the group are anxious to provide equipment which will fit in well with the beautiful rural environment, is of the highest quality, reasonably priced, and above all, will be fun to use and encourage youngsters between the ages of 1-15 to enjoy being outside and active.
'Active' is also hoping to provide facilities for extended family, carers, friends and visitors to the village to enjoy the field in a more relaxed way. It's hoped that an area with picnic tables can be created to encourage many other members of the community to visit the field. It's also hoped that some landscaping can be done, and a variety of trees, shrubs and wild flowers planted to add interest and ecological diversity and to make the field a much more attractive place to visit and spend time.
Any play equipment is eye-wateringly expensive, and up to £80,000 will be needed to provide the equipment the youngsters have said they would like. This includes safety surfaces which are essential and which account for much of the cost. .jpg)
Donations are always very gratefully received.
Over the last year, the village has enthusiastically supported fund raising events at which the youngsters have been keen helpers and organisers..jpg)
We've had several fattening cream teas, a beautiful Bluebell Walk, several noisy quizzes, a "Hogwash Irish Night" at which the standard of dancing was questionable but a lot of fun was had, an Activity Day for youngsters during the summer holidays organised entirely by youngsters, a Christmas Party and numerous raffles. This Christmas, 2009, the youngsters organised a Christmas Disco, and the Christmas Party, a feast of good food and good company, was repeated.
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Sally Denham - Secretary, Active Kingston
01548 810231 sally_denham@hotmail.com
A plan of the outline proposals for the whole playing field, including the proposed new play areas, can be seen HERE.
Some FAQs A few questions have cropped up which we thought needed answering. The answers are below, but if you would like more detailed information, please contact the Secretary of Active Kingston, see above, or any Parish Councillor. What's wrong with the present playground area and why do we need a new one? The current equipment is wearing out and will soon fail the regular safety checks and have to be removed. The safety surface is already cracking up. Youngsters in the village have asked for more exciting, updated equipment, and something for the older age group. There are about 80 youngsters in the parish, half of them under 11 years old. How does Active know what the youngsters want? Eighteen months ago Active put on several displays in the Reading Room and at various fund raising events. Youngsters were asked to stick gold stars on examples of equipment from different companies. At two sessions of Youth Club, lots of ideas and suggestions were either written about or drawn by the youngsters and passed on to Active. Youngsters have attended our AGM and also a meeting specifically arranged for them to come and give us their ideas. Families and carers have also come up with suggestions. How did you choose the equipment and which company to use? The Active Committee spent a long time discussing this, starting with ten companies and whittling it down to a shortlist of three. We wanted to use a local company, but the two nearest ones were not able to offer the kind of service and guarantees on safety and equipment which we were looking for. We rejected any equipment which looked urban and which would have been out of place in Kingston's rural surroundings. The company we have chosen, Playdale, provides excellent equipment, and their representative has visited the site and discussed ideas with the Active Committee several times. The company has 30 years experience in building playgrounds, offers a 20 year guarantee and all its equipment is kitemarked (ie has passed rigorous safety standards). The equipment chosen matches, as closely as possible, what the youngsters have said they would like. Where is all the money coming from? There are a lot of different organisations (eg. Devon County Council/DCSF Playbuilder; South Devon Coastal Local Action group, SDCLAG; Big Lottery Awards for All; SHDC Open Spaces fund; DCC Locaility budget; the Cooperative Society), providing money for leisure, sport and play activities. The money has to be applied for against specific criteria and can only be used for projects such as ours. We have also had terrific support for our own fund raising events in the village, (thank you). Will the aerial runway for older youngsters be noisy? No. We are assured not only by Playdale, but also by one of the major funding organisations that it is almost impossible to hear the mechanism once you are two metres away. We have also been in touch with the Environmental Health officer at SHDC who assures us they have had no complaints about aerial runway noise and do not consider it a risk. When is it all going to happen? If everything goes according to plan, work starts this summer. We will let you know details soon. What about the rest of the field? Active Kingston and the Parish Council are working closely together to ensure that the field becomes a well used and attractive amenity for everyone. Road safety, drainage and parking, as well as insurance and long term maintenance are all issues which are being addressed. We also hope to plant trees on the field and encourage some hedgerow trees to grow up. Any further questions or comments? Please contact the Active Kingston Secretary see above, any Parish Councillor, contact details under 'Parish Council', or David Hansford, the Parish Clerk, on 853363 As you will see, at long last, things are beginning to happen!
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT SO FAR.
The old equipment has been taken away so that the ground can be cleared before new topsoil and turf can be laid. The turf will need at least two months to settle before the new safety surfaces (which we HAVE to have to satisfy Health and Safety regulations) can be put down. Once that's done, Playdale, the company which is making the new equipment, will start work creating the new play area.
The following equipment will be installed :- Aerial runway/zipwire
Main playground area
Log cabin and picnic area
Adventure Trail
All this does mean that there won't be a playground for the whole of the summer, and both the Parish Council and the Active Kingston Committee are really sorry about that. If we could have organised it differently, we would have. Unfortunately, the complications of organising grants, prolonged discussions with all sorts of associated organisations, and complying with regulations have meant that it's taken a lot longer than we would have liked.
However, we hope that, in the autumn, when everything's in place, you will agree with us that it's been well worth the wait. Meanwhile, thank you for your patience, and for all your support for the fund raising events - watch this space, there will be more soon!