£200,000 plan for play areas in Kirkbymoorside (From Gazette & Herald)

£200,000 plan for play areas in Kirkbymoorside

AN ambitious £200,000 plan for Kirkbymoorside's play areas was revealed at last week's annual town assembly.

Richard Gunton, chairman of the newly-formed Kirkbymoorside Play Areas Association, told the meeting at Church House that, while the town had some good sports facilities, it needed better provision for youngsters.

Some £70,000 has been raised through the Sports Lottery and Ryedale District Council (RDC), as well as generous donations from townspeople and businesses.

The first phase, said Mr Gunton, will be to provide a small skateboarding area. "Our plans are to provide something for children of all ages," he added.

A basketball area, adventure trail and play areas for junior school age children and toddlers are also on the drawing board to provide state-of-the-art facilities.

One of the first priorities will be to drain and landscape the proposed play areas, and help was being given to the project by Susan Cent, the local youth worker.

Mr Gunton said it was hoped to involve young people in the fundraising, to encourage them to appreciate the facilities. They had already played a key part in planning the layout, he said.

Tubular slides, swings and roundabouts are also likely to be included in the scheme, but some residents complained that they felt there had been a lack of consultation on the project.

Updated: 10:27 Wednesday, May 05, 2004