A reminder...

...as to why we are doing this again.

I was just flicking through some old photos and noticed these taken a couple of years ago in Buxton Pavilion Gardens. Kids love roundabouts. I noticed that they were very popular in our questionnaire replies and now I can see why.

At the moment in Bamford play area, there is only the fort which would keep 4 kids of differing ages entertained and interacting with each other and even that needs a fair bit of work doing to it. Hopefully, if we're sucessful, we'll be be able to provide good new stuff for the children so they don't have to be driven here there and everywhere just to have a bit of fun!

(And our roundabout will be able to be used by children in wheelchairs too!)


Fingers crossed.

What's new?

Well, just because it's Christmas, we haven't been slacking! We managed to get our tender brief out to 4 contractors last week and 2 members of the committee met up with the first of them down on the Rec this very morning. We've set out clearly in our brief what we want from the sucessful contractor and expect to meet them all to explain it in more detail as well.

Then, when they have had chance to work up their plans and costings, we've asked for formal quotes to be returned to us by the beginning of February. These will be opened on the same day and we'll select a winner then.

Although price will obviously be a very important aspect of the selection process, we're also going to take into account design and quality. There's no point in going for the cheapest if the equipment is rubbish and the design boring. We don't want to have to do all this again in a hurry!!

Then comes the planning application.....doom doom...... but let's not think about that now!

We hope you all have a very merry Christmas and let's all hope for a happy (and playful) New Year!!

Making progress.

Well, we met up with our Facilitator on Monday afternoon (she's called Janice). It was a freezing cold afternoon but she braved the Rec and had a good poke around the play area (not that there is much to see!). After that we repaired to a warm kitchen for tea, biscuits and strategy.

It appears that, as we are not quite a Project "ready to go", as we need but do not have planning permission, we fall into a different and slightly more advantageous bracket. We are officially, a Development Project! This means that we have up to a year to resolve all the issues and get our Stage 2 Groundwork Uk and National Lottery application in rather than the 6 months we had originally thought.

It also means that there are a few extra funding streams we can tap into to help us get the play area off the ground. For example, we can claim for professional fees and for planning fees. This is a great help and means that we will not have to reduce our wish list for the actual play equipment which is, after all, the main point.

Re timing, we are still committed to getting the application in as quickly as possible but I think we were all a bit daunted by having to:

• Send our a tender brief and select a contractor
• Apply for and obtain planning permission
• Satisfy the requirements regarding title to the play area
• Satisfy the requirements regarding the group's constitution
• Satisfy the requirements regarding evidencing public support etc

All within 6 months. We could have done it but it's nice to know that we have a little wriggle room.

So, having been through our plan and where we are up to with Janice, it was decided that our next step is to focus on refining the Tender Brief and getting it out to our 3 most likely/favoured contractors for competitive quotes. Once this is done we can then concentrate on obtaining planning and the rest of the requirement safe in the knowledge of what our final play area will look like.

We're having another meeting on Monday to finalise this step and then we might take a wee break for Christmas and New Year!

Comments 2

I've just extracted some more comments from our questionnaires for your delectation:

"We would go much more frequently and meet friends."

"I think the equipment is dated. My child cut himself on the rusty horse."

"We would use it more rather than driving to Hathersage."

"As a local childminder, I need places for children to play and be safe."

"Would attract people to Bamford. Good for local business."

"An improved play area would be used more often. Great for social interaction."

"I would like to take my grandchildren but at the moment I would be very worried about the safety of the equipment."

"Would improve quality of life by travelling less."

"Better equipment for toddlers."

"The children would enjoy playing on new equipment as there is a limited choice at present."

"Needs better climbing equipment and something for older children."

"We need a better environment to take friends."


Well, I hope you enjoyed those. I certainly enjoyed picking the different colours out! They're not made up, by the way. The people have spoken and we will try to deliver!

Things are moving fast....can we keep up?!

We attended the monthly committee meeting of the Bamford Rec committee last night as we had much to report. Obviously they were thrilled to hear the news that we have passed Stage 1. Probably a little less pleased when I explained about some of the hoops we have to jump through to get ready for Stage 2. But, to their credit, they were unfailingly supportive and helpful.

It's a great weight off our minds to know that we can proceed with Stage 2 as a sub-committee of the Bamford Rec Committee itself. This sounds like a technicality but it has saved us literally dozens of hours of work in setting up a totally new group and obtaining charitable status, bank accounts etc and then trying to sort of the legal position regarding ownership and use of the play area.

Really, you wouldn't think that a few swings climbing frames would be girded by such mighty concepts as constitutions and committees and legal titles....sigh.....

Anyway, before I descend into grumpiness I thought you might like to see some of the comments we received on the questionnaires which were returned to us in the summer. They serve to remind us why we're doing this and how important it is for the whole village.

"I feel local children are missing out on a valuable resource."

"Safety standards are very poor on equipment and the ground surface is inadequate."

"I do not feel it is safe or secure. Gates need fixing to stop dogs entering." [Stop Press: the gates have now been fixed by our Great Leader's husband....thanks Nigel...]

"A few people have time and energy trying to raise awareness and much needed funds for this project and I feel they deserve some help if they are to suceed."

"Bamford really needs a better play area for children. it will increase community spirit and childrens' freedom."

"New equipment has long been needed. The climbing frame is rusty and has holes where children could cut their fingers."

"Our kids would love to go there more. It is a great place to meet up with other families. needs urgent attention!"


So - I think you get the picture. We're trying and help is slowly creeping out of the woodwork too. Watch this space.

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Meet your Committee

No names or anything as this is the big bad t'internet but I thought you might like to see what we look like. I'm the one at the back. Here we are on a Friday evening in the local pub, slaving away with proposals and correspondence. Don't it make your heart go all warm and fuzzy?!

So, our next step is to meet with the Bamford Rec Committee on Monday evening to report how we've got on so far and let them know what will be needed over the next few months. We will need their help as the play area is sited on the Rec.

After that, we have to obtain 3 formal quotes for the work, planning permission (grrr, we had hoped this wouldn't be necessary), fulfil various other technical requirements for the Stage 2 Application and, all the time, hope that we receive the funding in the end. Yikes.

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Questionnaires

Or, to put it another way - how do we know what everyone wants? How do we know that something needs to be done at all?!



Well, as to the latter, I think the pictures I put up in my first couple of posts will satisfy you that something needs to be done. But what?



To this end, as we don't want to be accused of being blinkered or exclusive, the Committee circulated a hundred or so Questionnaires and a Petition widely round the village and surrounding area to try to garner support for redevelopment of the play area as well as ideas as to what it should look like.



We asked the following questions:

1. How often do you use the play area?


2. Would you use it more often if it was improved?


3. How safe do you feel the current playground is and do you have any suggestions to improve safety?


4. What new play equipment would you like to see on the play area?


5. Do you use other play areas and, if so, how do you get there?


6. Would a new improved play area on the Bamford Recreation Ground benefit you, your family and friends or business and, if so, how?


7. Any other comments?

We recieved 50 replies to the Questionnaire, which is not bad going considering the size of the village and the fact that not everyone has any connection to children. (I know exactly 50 replies seems a little dodgy but that's the number, I just recounted them!) The comments were wide ranging and mostly helpful (if occasionally a little unrealistic - we're not made of money!!) and I'll try and summarise the main themes over this and some later posts.

To the question regarding what sort of equipment people would like to see, the results were as follows:

• Roundabout - 19
• Climbing frame - 26
• Toddler equipment/small slide/swings/disabled - 11
• Adventure Trail/Obstacle course - 7
• Sit on spring seats/rockers - 6
• Zip wire - 8
• Moving horse - 3
• Better slide - 5
• Tunnels - 3
• Sand pit - 4
• New see-saw - 2
• New ground bark - 2

I've listed above all the items which received more than one vote. There were loads of other suggestions and I'll list them sepaprately but I want to get this entry posted so you'll have to wait with bated breath for that!

Bye for now and wish us luck!

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