MELKSHAM’S parks and play areas could soon see a raft of new “community pride teams” set up to help maintain and support them.
It has been suggested by Melksham Town Council that residents could volunteer to help assist with creating a “strategic vision” for all the town’s parks; to help “deliver services” in the parks; fundraise to help pay for maintenance and improvements; and “be involved in the running” of parks.
Councillors have agreed to research the idea, looking at examples of “best practice” in other local authority areas. Recommendations will be brought back to the council later in the year on how best to set up the scheme – and it is hoped that the new “pride teams” could be launched as soon as early autumn.
The proposed scheme builds on the idea of a ‘Friends of King George V’ volunteer group that was first suggested in March this year. The ‘Friends of King George V’ volunteer group would have launched in May if councillors had given it the green light. Instead they chose to pause the idea at a meeting the same month to allow time to explore a “more ambitious” vision.
Explaining the new vision for “community pride teams” at the June meeting of the town council’s asset management and amenities committee, mayor cllr Jon Hubbard said, “Personally speaking, I would like to see us looking beyond King George V.
“King George V is one of Melksham’s parks, it’s our main park, it’s the ‘show-piece’ park, but it’s not the only facility in our town, there’s a dozen or so other parks or play areas in our town that we have, and that our residents and communities use.
“So I think that there’s a great opportunity here to have a ‘friends of KGV’, but to also set up ‘community pride teams’ where residents take pride in a park or a facility within the wider community.”
In support of the idea, cllr Claire Forgacs said that all of Melksham’s parks and play areas deserved the same time and attention that had been given recently to King George V Playing Fields.
“It would be great to use the knowledge of King George V to help develop other parks in Melksham,” added cllr Forgacs.
The idea was unanimously supported by the committee members present at the meeting – cllr Colin Goodhind, cllr Claire Forgacs, cllr Simon Crundell, cllr Carl Houghton, cllr Louisa Lewis, and cllr Jack Oatley.
“This is a really exciting step taken by the council,” said cllr Hubbard speaking after the meeting. “Melksham has a wonderful collection of play areas and parks and I’m really pleased that we have chosen to recognise this in this decision.
“Now we will find the best way for a ‘Friends’ or ‘Community Pride’ team to support not only King George V Playing Fields, but potentially all of our play areas. Every child in our town deserves to see us equally take care of all of our play facilities.”
