ILMINSTER NEWS: Work going well on Winterhay Lane play area improvements

THE long-awaited revamp of the children’s play area at Winterhay Lane in Ilminster is well underway.

Phase One and the removal of the old equipment and installation of new swings has been completed and Phase Two - constructing a mound which will become the site for a slide and moving the football posts - is scheduled for the middle of March.

The initial consultation with local people was undertaken by members of the Youth Council in 2013 and the final design incorporates ideas raised at that time – including keeping the football posts, having an additional picnic bench and new swings.

Cllr Sophie Storey, who chairs the Play and Paths Group for Ilminster Town Council, said: “It has been really brilliant to see the diversity of people using the new basket swing.

“I popped into the park several times over the half term to gauge reaction and saw different people on it each time from groups of children to a young family where the mum was swinging with her newborn whilst dad chased a toddler all over the park - it really made my day.”

The refurbishment will be complete when the slide is installed – the timescale for that is uncertain as the new mound has to settle before the slide can be positioned against it.

In many ways, the Winterhay project has been a pilot for the much larger project to revamp the Wharf Lane Rec play area as members of the Play and Paths Group have grappled with providing exciting but realistic play opportunities and managing public expectations.

PHOTOS: Fun at the Winterhay Lane play area in Ilminster.

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