Lings gets new playing area

 An adventurous new play area for local children aged eight -13 is to be built on Lings Playing Field.

The Northampton East Neighbourhood Management Board was successful in a bid for funding from the national Playbuilder programme through Northamptonshire County Council and has been awarded £49,300, which will be used to create an innovative new play facility in the area near Tyes Court and Old Barn Court.

The bid attracted strong support from the local community with resident Susi Romero, who is a member of the Brookside Residents' Council, canvassing local youngsters to find out what sort of play facilities they really wanted to see in their neighbourhood.

Now the Lings bid for funding has been successful, a specialist company based locally in Moulton Park will work with local children and their parents to design an exciting local play area that works in the natural features of the site, including trees and the open playing field.

It is hoped that a design can be agreed and the new facility built ready for children to enjoy this summer.

Neighbourhood co-ordinator Peter Strachan, of Northampton Borough Council said: "It's great that we have got the go-ahead for this fantastic new facility for local young people, in a spot that was underused and abused.

"What has been particularly great is the way in which the community and young people themselves played a huge part in the whole process. I'm convinced that it was the involvement of local people that helped make the bid successful. We are now looking forward to working with them again to come up with a final design."

Susi Romero has children who will benefit from the play scheme. She said: "This area is long overdue a new development like this for the whole community and particularly for local children that will bring people together and that we can all be proud of. I'm proud myself of having been part of this and I can't wait to see children playing in the new scheme."

The East Northampton Neighbourhood Management Board includes representatives from Northampton Borough Council, Northamptonshire County Council, Northamptonshire Police, the Fire and Rescue Service and other agencies.

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