Young people will be flying down a 30 metre zip line and clambering over South Somerset’s first explorer dome climbing frame when the King Arthur Drive play area in Yeovil is formally opened on Saturday 11 April.
The opening ceremony is the culmination of a two year project which has been led by South Somerset District Council, Brympton Parish Council, Knightstone Housing Association, the local Police Community Support Officer and Yarlington Housing Group.
This project group has worked closely with the local community over the last two years in a number of ways including workshops with students at Preston School, household surveys and on site events. Local residents recently showed just how much they care about their new space when they turned out in force to plant 300 trees in a tree planting event. They have also contributed to the project through donating bird boxes and taking part in a mosaic art project.
Robert Parr, Senior Play & Youth Facilities Officer at South Somerset District Council said, “With the support of the local community and organisations this new play space for the north of Yeovil now offers an amazing place for play and recreation for many generations to come.
“We have been fortunate to have existing woodland to work with and I hope the new facility makes the most of this natural resource. Early feedback from people using the play area has been really positive and with the summer approaching I hope it gets really well used and people have loads of fun and enjoyment from it.”
The new play area has been designed to fit in around the many trees that make up this small woodland area and the play area has been enlarged to make the most of the sites interesting landscape. The design provides many different play opportunities for all ages and it even includes play equipment unique to South Somerset.
Linda Nash, Board Member at Knightstone Housing, said “The play area at King Arthur Drive is a fantastic new asset for this community and is an initiative that Knightstone is very proud to have been involved in. We’re committed to supporting our communities as great places to live, and the new facilities established here will make a huge difference to local families.”