Parish Council
Playing Field Committee Meeting April 2024
Playing Field Committee Report
Cllr Emma Bell
04.04.2024
A Committee meeting took place on 3rd April to discuss the findings of the Play Safety Inspection Report, new equipment, the current financial situation, future fundraising events and the proposed wild flower area.
The full committee were in attendance along with 4 members of the general public which was very encouraging especially as they were very enthusiastic to get involved in future fundraising activities and also having very positive ideas as to future items of play equipment for the park with specific input from their children.
The findings of the Play Safety Report showed all items to fall into the low risk and medium risk categories. The definition of a medium risk is that some control measures may be identified to reduce the risks to low, tolerable levels. NO items were listed in the ‘red’ zone which is considered to be high risk and urgent action necessary to reduce risks.
Various items require repair as and when the Parish Council budgets allow but there are a couple of items (gate and slide platform) which could possibly be repaired by willing volunteers with woodwork skills. I shall make some enquiries to see if this is possible.
The main item flagged on the report as requiring attention was the Trim Trail which is why it’s been highlighted for replacement for the past 6 months. The Report stated that the item is at the end of its useful working life and we should programme for early replacement. I shall continue to check on the item on a routine basis with a view to decommissioning it in the Summer.
Various ideas were discussed for new equipment with the emphasis on using recycled plastic instead of timber as this has proved not suitable for our Dartmoor climate. Unfortunately play equipment made from recycled plastic is three times as expensive as similar made from timber so we agreed that we’d start with a small selection and then can add to it as and when funds allow. A selection of trim trail equipment was agreed upon which would suit the ages 4-10 yr olds and a small toddler tower was requested which would give the park appeal for both age groups. I will contact three suppliers to get comparable quotes.
Finances raised so far by the Committee stand at just short of £5k. I’m hopeful that I can raise a further £5k from a DCC funding pot suggested to me by Cllr Lynn Daniels. All the proceeds from Open Gardens on 2nd June will be going to the Playing Field Fund this year and we also plan to hold a Quiz night on Friday 14th June to raise further funds. This should give us a funding pot of around £11k which will hopefully be enough to get the equipment ordered.
Finally discussion was had about the proposed wild flower area. As the Playing Field is primarily an amenity space, it proved doubtful that there would be anywhere within it where flowers could grow without fear of damage from a stray football. It was suggested that this possibly wasn’t the best area within the village for this type of display and a suggestion was made that it may be better suited to Oak Tree Green as this space isn’t used as a play area.
Items selected to replace Trim Trail:
Playing Field Committee Members:
Cllr Emma Bell (Chair),
Cllr Kevin Sales,
Ali Valance,
Danny Tansley