Children in and around the village of Kingsley in Staffordshire can’t wait to get out and play, now that a project to give the local recreation area a makeover has been completed.
Through the hard work of the Kingsley Venture Valley Project Team and four large grants including one of £20,000 from the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund*, children are now making the most of the new look park.
The improvement project which totalled over £50,000 has included the installation of a zip wire, swings, a large and small climbing frame, a ‘spinner’, an obstacle course, and picnic benches, as well as improving access to the site.
Lucy Hughes of the Kingsley Venture Valley Project Team said: “It’s a real pleasure to see how popular and loved the new improved recreation area is. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, including Tarmac, the area has been transformed from an underutilised park with tired, outdated equipment, to the buzzing community area it is now.”
Tarmac’s Tunstead Cement Plant environmental coordinator Josie Shereston went along to see the park for herself. Tarmac owns nearby Kingsley quarry which has been supplying clay and shale to Tunstead Cement Plant near Buxton for nearly 20 years.
She said: “It’s easy to see what a special area this is. We are delighted that Tarmac was able to support a project which helps encourage children to spend more time outdoors, playing in this special open space.”
*The Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund (or Landfill Tax Credit Scheme as it was formerly known) enables landfill operators like Tarmac, to donate part of their annual tax liability to enrolled Environmental Bodies for a variety of approved community and environmental projects. Landfill operators can reclaim 90% of their contribution as a tax credit which means the remaining 10% must be provided either by them or an independent third party. Through the fund Tarmac donates around £1 million each year to community projects throughout the UK. The fund is open to applicants who meet the strict criteria for projects delivering community benefit. For more information, please go to www.entrust.org.uk
Picture caption: Tarmac’s Josie Shereston (right) finds out how much the village children love their new playground