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Ladies and Gentlemen I have to be the bearer of bad news.
The playground on Tommy rec (Tomkinson Road Recreation Ground for any non Stockingfordians reading this) may be removed by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.
The maintenance costs of the playground this year to date have been in excess of £19,000. The vast majority of this is entirely due to vandalism.
This patch of grass which seems to be out of keeping with the grass around it is where the ever popular trampoline used to be.
Replaced once already after being previously burnt out the second time was too much and the pit was filled in. Believe it or not a trampoline such as this costs thousands to replace. The specification for a trampoline for a public children's playground is far higher than anything that you would find on the home market.
The charred remains of the See Saw stand as forlorn evidence of this formerly popular play feature.
Many of the smaller children came to the rec purely because of this piece of equipment.
Their shrieks of joy as they went back and forth ever faster will not be repeated by either themselves or future generations if the playground is removed.
Will you push or shall I? the question is moot now that the roundabout too has been burnt out for the second time in twelve months.
It is a sad fact that there are people who destroy and something needs to be done about them.
Last year a row of trees was planted alongside the footpath to enhance the area. I saw them and they looked lovely. Do not be surprised if you did not see them though because they were ripped up the very same night.
Removing the children’s play equipment
is not the answer!
The location of the playground is ideal for malcontents because it is not overlooked from either homes or roads. Warwickshire Police have done all that they can with the PCSO’s and patrols looking in as often as they can to reduce anti-social behaviour but they cannot post someone there all of the time.
I believe that the answer is to fit lighting to the top end of the playground facing away from the homes so that there is no light overspill onto housing. With the playground properly lit a camera can be installed. This combination of lighting and cameras has worked wonders on otherwise unmanageable parks in the past.
I shall be doing all that I can to persuade the relevant portfolio holder not to close the playground. I shall also be contacting local newspapers to try to raise the profile of this issue within the community.
