Replacement of Etchingham playground equipment to cost £25,000

A charity is attempting to raise £25,000 to replace the '˜deteriorated' playground equipment at the Etchingham Recreation Ground.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Nov 2018, 15:14 BST
Updated 9th Jan 2019, 02:53 BST
Colin Boylett, Paulette Barton and Geoff Lucas pictured with the play equipment in Queen's Garden, EtchinghamColin Boylett, Paulette Barton and Geoff Lucas pictured with the play equipment in Queen's Garden, Etchingham
Colin Boylett, Paulette Barton and Geoff Lucas pictured with the play equipment in Queen's Garden, Etchingham

The Etchingham Recreation Ground Trust (ERGT), controlled by the parish council, manages the recreation area adjacent to the church known as Queen’s Garden as well as the Viper play area in Station Approach, which was created by the village youth group before it closed.

According to parish councillor Colin Boylett, last year’s annual inspection identified safety issues with some of the pieces of ageing play equipment and some items had to be taken out of use.

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Mr Boylett said: “The parish council has funded the replacement of two swing bays but will not have sufficient funds available to replace more items in the near future.

“There are items in both areas that will require replacement very soon.”

As a result, the ERGT set up two fundraising schemes.

The first – Give as you Live – asks supporters to nominate ERGT as their chosen charity and when they buy online at more than 4,000 sites, they can log on to Give as you Live first and a small percentage of the purchase will be donated to the charity.

The second is an online donation page where supporters can make their own donations.

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Mr Boylett added: “We have initially set a target of £25,000 to enable replacement of the items that require replacing now or in the very near future, so a lot of fundraising will be required if we are to reach our target.

“We are aware that there are residents in the village who do not have the ability to donate online, so they are able to make a donation with cash or a cheque payable to Etchingham Playgrounds and leave it in a sealed envelope clearly marked Playground Appeal at Etchingham Post Office.”

Parish clerk Paulette Barton added: “(The parish council) takes the responsibility of providing a safe environment for all its residents, particularly vulnerable groups like our children, very seriously...but simply cannot stretch the budget any further at this time.”

If you would like to support the fundraiser, please visit www.everyclick.com/etchinghamplaygrounds

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