Leader takes Hyndburn to new heights
Leader, Cllr Marlene Haworth, tried out the brand-new playground equipment with local children and community representatives at the unveiling of Knuzden Recreation Ground.
Children from St. Oswald’s Church of England Primary School, Leader of the Council Cllr Haworth and Cath Holmes, Chair of Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum, were invited to be the first to have a go on the brand-new facility, which is now open to the community.
They were joined for the morning by Local Councillor, Cllr Zak Khan, Portfolio holder for green spaces, Cllr Steven Smithson and Mark Pickup, Senior Parks Development Officer at Hyndburn Council.
[Cllr Marlene Haworth]
Cllr Marlene Haworth, Leader of the Council, said:
“It was wonderful to see the finalised space come to life and even more so to see the children who played such an important role in the consultation process have the chance to try out the equipment for themselves.
“Play areas are lifelines for local communities, providing free entertainment for young children and supporting community wellbeing by encouraging families to spend time outside. That is precisely why we are so keen to develop and maintain these valuable green spaces around our Borough which we will continue to make a priority within the Council.”
[L-R Cath Holmes, Cllr Haworth, Natalie Stout, Andrea Gray, Cllr Smithson, Cllr Khan, with school children from St Oswald’s]
Knuzden recreation ground has undergone a £210,000 revamp in total, following a collaboration between Hyndburn Council and Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum. This sum includes a grant that the Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum raised, totalling £30,000 and awarded by the Lancashire Environmental Fund.
Cath Holmes, Chair of Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum, said:
“These projects really emphasize the great things that come from collaboration between Hyndburn Council and the community groups within the area. The Parks Department at Hyndburn Council did a wonderful job in leading the school consultation and the children and staff of St Oswald’s Primary School came up with some fantastic ideas that we at Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum are proud to have supported.
“This space has now been transformed into a place that prioritises the needs of the local families and improves access to green spaces which can in turn have a tremendous impact on the wellbeing of locals.”
A key phase of this revamp included a consultation with the local community, including children from St Oswald’s Church of England Primary School. Children from different year groups within the school were invited to share what they would like to see added to the new space to replace the old play area.
Natalie Stout, Year 2 Teacher, said:
“We’ve brought the children from our school council today, they were involved in the planning and consultation of this park, and as you can tell they love it!”
Andrea Gray, Head teacher at St. Oswald’s church of England Primary School, said:
“One of the things that was really important to our children was making sure they had different things for younger children, as lots of our children have siblings. They also looked at the space around and the variety of different things they wanted to do.”
To find out more about the space or to find other green spaces to visit head to: https://www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/parks-and-open-spaces/