Save our Playground: Fight for the future of popular facility

"VILLAGE HUB": Children and parents pay a visit to the playground
during the Easter break. 251 youngsters visited last Friday alone.

PARENTS, children and volunteers are among those to have thrown their weight behind a campaign to keep Meriden Adventure Playground open.
The future of the award-winning facility was placed in serious doubt after Solihull Council announced that it would only continue funding for another six months.
Supporters were dismayed by the move, which has left the playground facing a monumental fight to become self-sufficient between now and when the local authority support comes to an end in September.
Opposition councillors have “called-in” the decision and a meeting will be held tomorrow (Monday) to consider whether the issue should be referred to Full Council.
In the meantime, more than 1,000 petition letters have been signed by local people - urging the council to rethink its current timetable. As well as handing out the slips at the nearby Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre, families also led a protest on the steps of the council house.
And even as it pushes for a rethink, the playground has also thrown itself head-long into a search to find alternative funding.
Ali Wood, the chair of the Meriden Adventure Playground Association (MAPA), said there had been overwhelming support from local people.
“Our main worry is how little time we have to sort something out,” she said. “I think if there was a couple of years to put something together we would be able to do it, but six months doesn’t give us very much time at all.
“We are trying to make clear the consequences for the community if this closes down. We’re really a 'village hub', we get to know the families and we refer them on to other services.”
The playground was set up in 2007 with the help of Big Lottery funding and its popularity has snowballed over the past ten years. Several hundred youngsters can visit each day during busy periods and the site has been credited with helping tackle anti-social behaviour locally.
Councillor Ken Hawkins, cabinet member for the environment, housing and regeneration, has acknowledged the playground is a valuable resource and said efforts would be made in the coming months to help MAPA develop a business plan.
He suggested the lack of any such proposal at present would make it difficult for the local authority to commit additional funds.
Speaking last month, he said: “I’m not entirely happy about this [decision]... but also I have to take into consideration the financial constraints and budgets of this council.”
If you can help in any way, email aliwood@blueyonder.co.uk or contact the playground via their Facebook page.

Local Reaction:

COMMUNITY groups, residents and councillors from across the political spectrum have emphasised the importance of the playground.
The Community Action Network (CAN) was among the organisations to express concern about the council’s handling of the situation, and said it was “extremely disappointed” by the recent decision.
A spokesman said: “The closure of the adventure playground [would] have a disastrous effect on the area and result in huge social and financial costs to Solihull. This decision is short-sighted and reflects a clear lack of understanding and indifference towards North Solihull and its residents.”
Councillor Chris Williams (Green, Chelmsley Wood) argued the facility saved the council far more money than was invested, while Coun Debbie Evans (UKIP, Kingshurst & Fordbridge) said she was “gutted” that funding was being withdrawn.
When Other Side of Solihull visited the facility during the Easter holidays, several parents praised the services available.
Michelle Moulton, from Water Orton, has been visiting with her son Franky, aged eight, for the past three years. “He just loves it here,” she said. “It’s very, very important to have something like this.”