Why is Priory Park so important?
As a father of 2 daughters, I am acutely aware of how important good quality outdoor space is for well being and development at such a young age.
Ware is a vibrant town with so much to offer residents and visitors. As part of that offering it should have a central park available to all that connects, energises, inspires play and gives the users the recreational activity they deserve.
Unfortunately, as we all know, we don’t have that currently. The photo showing the current state of the children's play area used for this funding page does not inspire and, sadly, without the community coming together, the park will languish as it is.
Priory Park is in much need of investment to repair and renew the existing equipment, expand its offering to a greater age range, to provide variety of imaginative play, to help attract more users to its location in order that more people will see Ware as a destination of choice.
We have an opportunity to help promote all of the above and reinvigorate such a great setting with a park that befits its surroundings.
The Project
I have been liaising with Ware Town Council in its role to upgrade Priory Park. They are committed to achieving just that. They have provisional budget allocated for improvements and a local councillor is on-board to help navigate the process, which is hugely positive at this stage.
It would be helpful if you could also take some time to complete a short survey at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Z6NM8SL
Whilst it’s early days, they see a realistic timeline as follows:
Now until April 2021 - carry out repairs to the skate park (phase 1).
Now until March 2021 – establish a working group of 8-10 like minded people to focus on the much needed improvements and support the design of the same.
May to July 2021 – consult with you, the local community, on the design proposals and seeking input and ideas that the community can provide.
September 2021 - finalise the Park design.
October 2021 – tender for the Park upgrade.
Spring 2022 – begin and thereafter complete the works.
Limited plans have already been drawn up to give an idea as to what the space could look like and includes repairing and revitalising the existing skate park (phase 1), installing several new pieces of play equipment to include, but not limited to, a twin zip line, a huge climbing dome, new swings, new slides, and interactive play equipment (phase 2).
A visual representation of what the Park could look like is set out below.
Funding
With your personal support and the support of local businesses, I genuinely believe we can make a difference and help achieve something that we, our children and future generations can enjoy. In these peculiar and uncertain times, having good quality and varied outdoor play and activity equipment is even more important.
Thank you for reading, taking an interest and showing your support. It is greatly appreciated.
Gavin