Trafford Council have invested a total of £200,000 to deliver 12 schemes in parks and green spaces which have been identified for improvements.
The One Trafford Partnership, a collaboration between Trafford Council and Amey, have begun delivering green space capital schemes for 2020-21. Scheme will be delivered in parks across the borough including Ashton Park, Longford Park, Timperley Green and Worthington Park.
Schemes include installation of new play equipment, repairs to multi-play units, improved surfacing and new outdoor fitness equipment. One Trafford’s dedicated green space team are working with Friends of Parks groups to ensure the schemes are delivered with the community’s input.
In the last 5 years, One Trafford have delivered just over £1.1 million of green space schemes, in conjunction with Friends and members of the community, to improve Trafford’s parks. In that period, improvements included the installation of 11 climbing frames, 6 roundabouts, 7 see-saws, 5 slides, 21 pieces of trim trail equipment, and 11 football posts. Last year, 19 new gates were installed in some play areas to improve safety, 230 brand new park signs were installed, including 118 new welcome signs.
Where possible, some park equipment has been restored instead of removed and replaced. This helps to prolong the longevity of the equipment and reduce replacement costs. In Gorse Hill Park play area, the 20-year-old elephant springers were restored to their original condition for the next generation of children to enjoy. Whilst at Abbotsfield Park, the Sputnik roundabout received new bearings and fresh coat of paint last month.
In addition to new equipment, the partnership has been striving towards creating nature rich green spaces to encourage more wildlife. In the last three years, over £100,000 has been invested into the Wilding Trafford project through the green space capital programme. Friends of Park, The Conservation Volunteers, In Bloom groups and residents have been pulling together with One Trafford to plant thousands of bulbs, seeds and shrubs as part of the project.
Councillor Liz Patel, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, said:
“This year, more than ever, our green spaces have been a vital lifeline to our health and wellbeing. Investing in green spaces and parks during this time means we’re able to continue providing safe, well maintained, open space for everyone to enjoy. We’re installing brand-new trim trail equipment in Davyhulme Park to help park users stay fit, adding to the existing variety of trim trials across the borough. For children, play is a vital part of learning and development. The current green space capital programme will see a number of repairs to play equipment so that play areas remain safe for all children to enjoy.
Thank you to the teams of dedicated Friends of Parks volunteers who have been helping the green space team to deliver amazing projects. Volunteers have been essential in providing support, and in some recent schemes, securing additional funding. Last year both Gorse Hill Park and John Leigh Park secured additional funding to help us create and restore some excellent facilities.”
To find out more about the green space capital programme, visit www.trafford.gov.uk/parkmaintenance.
To find your local Trafford park visit www.trafford.gov.uk/parks. For green space updates, search #TraffordParks on Twitter.
Posted on Tuesday 17th November 2020