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Christmas Comes Early for Kipling
The residents of Worsley Mesnes, Wigan, will be celebrating an early
Christmas present, with the official opening of a brand new purpose
built neighbourhood park, on Saturday 10th December. The park situated
near Clifton Street and Kipling Avenue has been christened Kipling Park.
An investment of Ł171,000 has transformed a debris-ridden piece of
wasteland (formerly the site of Worsley Mesnes Primary School) into an
excellent recreation and play area that will become a focal point of the
local community. The new Worsley Mesnes Primary School was built at
nearby Clifton Street in April 2003.
The Worsley Mesnes Community Partnership, a group including local
residents and elective representatives from Wigan Council, Economic
Regeneration, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust and the police, has been
the driving force behind the scheme. The whole consultation process has
taken over twelve months and has included generous input on the design
of the play facilities from local children, youth groups and mother and
toddler groups.
“This project has involved a great number of partners and is a great
example of how a co-ordinated community-led approach can have fantastic
results for local residents,” says Dave Owen, the trust’s Parks’
Community Liaison Officer. “We are sure the people of Worsley Mesnes
will make great use of this new facility and will treat it as their very
own community hub. The play facilities are excellent and are a direct
result of the input from local residents”.
The new Kipling Park facility includes play areas for all children aged
up to eleven. Further funding is also being sought through SRB6 (see
notes) to provide a ball park facility for older children and young
people in the neighbourhood.
“It has been a long journey for the people of Worsley Mesnes, I am glad
everybody’s hard work has come to fruition. My colleague Councillor
Rotherham and I, wanted to ensure that the land was used as a place for
young people to enjoy themselves following the use of the nearby playing
fields to build a new school,” says Brian Baldwin, the council’s cabinet
member for culture. “The result is that we have a wonderful facility for
the community that everyone should be proud of. I know the trust puts
great emphasis on delivering family-friendly facilities as a key part of
their vision Getting Wigan Active.”
Although the trust’s Parks team, together with the Grounds Maintenance
Service will have responsibility for managing the site, it is hoped that
local residents will take ownership of the facility and help to secure
the site in the long-term.
The Park will be officially opened by the Mayor of Wigan (Co. Brian
Jarvis), Edith Bearshaw from Clifton Street Management Group, who worked
tirelessly on the project and a representative from the Children’s
Committee. Carol singing at Clifton Street Community Centre will follow
the opening event. The following weekend will feature the park’s first
community event for local residents, bulb planting, at 1pm, on Sunday
18th December.
-ends-
NOTES TO EDITORS: For further information on this News Release please
contact Chris Dunbar, Public Relations Officer, Wigan Leisure and
Culture Trust on 01942 486937 or at
c.dunbar@wlct.org
Funding: Funding for this project was secured through the North West
Development Agency’s Single Regeneration Budget (SRB6).
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust: Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust is a
charitable trust working on behalf of Wigan Council to manage and
support Leisure and Cultural facilities, initiatives and events for
300,000 residents across the Wigan Borough.
Getting Wigan Active: Getting Wigan Active is WLCT’s vision to ensure
that people across the Wigan Borough have the opportunity to become more
physically, mentally and creatively active. It also aims to increase
community activity and to encourage good citizenship.
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