Archived press release

Date Published: 08/11/06

Aylesbury Vale District Council is attempting to tap into thousands of lottery pounds to improve play provision across the district. It is hoped that money will be made available through the Big Lottery Fund to improve play areas and create more ...

Aylesbury Vale District Council is attempting to tap into thousands of lottery pounds to improve play provision across the district.

It is hoped that money will be made available through the Big Lottery Fund to improve play areas and create more opportunities for young people who have limited access to activities and facilities.

Every local authority area has been invited to bid for a sum of money based on the number of children living in their area. The amount provisionally allocated for Aylesbury Vale is £304,000.

At a meeting of the council’s cabinet last night (7 November), councillors gave their approval for an application to be made to the Big Lottery Fund for the full amount on offer.

The council intends to allocate £200,000 from the lottery grant to enhance play areas at Somerville Way, Carlton Close and Bedgrove Park in Aylesbury. These areas were selected after a review assessing condition, accessibility and areas of deprivation.

A further £100,000 will be used to employ a play development worker and two play rangers to focus on rural areas and working with ethnic minorities. The play development worker’s responsibilities will include:
• Ensuring that play opportunities are inclusive and providing advice on support services and resources to support the needs of children
• Offering advice and assistance on grant applications
• Identifying means to overcome barriers to access, such as providing transport to activities where public transport links are poor or unavailable
• Helping groups to develop playschemes that suit their individual needs

The play development worker will also manage the play rangers, who will work alongside volunteers to provide activities for young people after school and during the school holidays.

AVDC has developed a play strategy which looks at the current provision of all types of play activity across the district.  A wide range of groups were asked for their input into the strategy, including children and young people, parents and carers and play providers.   

Their replies highlighted the importance of children’s play areas and playschemes, especially for rural families and ethnic minority groups. The key issues identified through the consultation process were incorporated into the final version of the strategy, which is being used as the basis of the bid for lottery funding.

If the council is successful in its application, further consultation would be carried out on the design of the new facilities and activities.

Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: “The preparation of this bid has been a great opportunity for us to take stock and look at what play provision is currently available. There is a great demand for facilities and activities for young people and we need to ensure there are enough good places to go that offer fun and enjoyable things to do. The projects put forward for funding will go a long way to improving play provision across the whole district.”

The council’s bid to the Big Lottery Fund will be submitted this month. A decision on the success of the application is expected early next year.