Shaw play area given a facelift thanks to community support

With the existing play area at The Beeches looking dated having been installed in the early 1990s, Melksham Without Parish Council enlisted the help of keen residents to bring the popular play park back to life.

The Shaw locals set up a committee where they decided what should be done with the play equipment to improve the area as well as make it safer. They arranged their own consultations within the village and fed the information back to Melksham Without through residents Michelle Tattersall and Mark Ashkowski who acted as the voice for the committee.

As a result of the work of the community and the close working partnership with the council, the park has now been transformed into a modern play area with safety flooring. Additionally, new benches have been installed and a further two benches are set to be added with the help of local handyman group Melksham Shed, who will visit Shaw and renovate two more benches to bring them up to the standard of the rest of the play park.

Mark Ashkowski said, “Michelle Tattersall and I have been working with a broad cross-section of the local community to seek their views on how we might improve the play area. We are delighted with the level of interest expressed so far. Melksham Without Parish Council has kindly invested in the refurbishment of the existing play equipment and the installation of new safety surfaces, all of which make the play area far more inviting to children and parents alike, and help enhance this important community asset.

“We now  hope to redevelop the play area, and to bring in new features and new play equipment for children of all ages. We look forward to continuing to work with the council and with the wider community as we move towards this next phase of our exciting project.

“We hope to be contacting local residents in the very near future with further details of the options open to us. For more information please contact us on shawpark.refurb@yahoo. co.uk or join our Facebook group (search for Shaw Park)

Melksham Without Parish Council clerk Teresa Strange added, “The new play area looks great and it is fantastic the way the community has supported the work and had their say on what it should look like.

“The park was looking a bit dated but the refurb has really given it a modern look and we hope many children and families can enjoy the new surroundings.”