The Barrow Community Play Project has revamped its village play park, which was tired, run down and in much need of attention, with a substantial donation from Havebury Housing Partnership.
The park, in the village of Barrow in Suffolk near to Bury St Edmunds, was completed in December last year and has already attracted attention from the villages’ residents who are already delighted about the new project. Lisa Gleave, from the Barrow Community Play Project, along with eight other parents started fundraising and applied for grant funding in order to raise enough money for the project.
Lisa turned to Havebury’s Neighbourhood Investment Panel who granted the application and invested £7,000 into the project. Other funders who have made the project possible include the Asda Foundation, Suffolk Empowering Communities fund and The Village Hall Management Committee, who removed the previous existing equipment and prepared the land free of charge.
The play park now consists of exciting new equipment including swings, slides, trim trails, and a roundabout. The innovative project also has its very own zip wire, which was made possible through the Neighbourhood Investment Panel’s grant.
Lisa said “The feedback we are getting from the community is amazing. It’s so lovely to see a community space finally being used.”
So far this year, the Neighbourhood Investment Panel has invested approximately £185,000 in local communities supporting projects such as creating a communal garden at Caie Walk in Bury St Edmunds and replacing the village sign at Great Barton.
If you have an idea for a community project or want to learn more about the Neighbourhood Investment Panel, please contact Lauren Hollands on 01284 722035, or email lauren.hollands@havebury.com.
