PR 219

For immediate release

25 July 2006

Thousands of children across the Borough of Great Yarmouth can now look forward to their newly revamped playgrounds being ready for the summer holidays. Following a major grant totalling £400,000 from the Big Lottery Fund, 10 projects were undertaken to create new playgrounds and refurbish others. Now, two months ahead of schedule, the final Lottery playground is being built this week at Gorleston Recreation Ground.

The playground design was chosen after a highly successful public consultation held at Gorleston Library, in which more than 500 votes were cast. The winning company are also responsible for the Magdalen Square playground, which has shown itself to be the most successful and well used playground the Council has installed for years.

Playgrounds which benefited from this windfall included:

• Fisher Avenue ~ refurbishment

• Southtown Common ~ skate park / additional play equipment

• Beatty Close ~ refurbishment

• 7 x multiplays across the Borough

• Hawthorne Road ~ additional equipment

• The Lea Playground ~ new playground

• Magdalen Square ~ new playground

• Marine Parade ~ new playground

• Gorleston Recreation Ground ~ new playground

Councillor Bob Peck, Play Champion for the Council said “These playgrounds will help provide a focus for local communities and improve the quality of life for more than 3,000 children.

“This Council recognises the importance of play, and along with the Play Strategy soon to be released for public consultation, these are exciting times for play in Great Yarmouth. The 10 projects go a long way to improving play provision across the whole Borough”.

Notes to Editors:

Picture caption: Youngsters enjoying themselves on the multiplay.

Background:
Big Lottery Fund is the joint co-operating name of the New Opportunities Fund and the National Lottery Charities Board (which make grants under the name of the Community Fund). Big Lottery Fund, launched on 1 June 2004, is distributing half of all national Lottery good cause funding across the UK.

Big Lottery Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money.  To date, the two merged Funds have committed more than £5 billion to initiatives with national, regional and local partners from the public, voluntary, charity and private sectors with a particular focus on disadvantage.

For further information, please contact:
Emma Dixon
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Tel: 01493 846442
Email: eld@great-yarmouth.gov.uk

Issued by:
Liz Dann
Press Officer
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
01493 846513