Aylesbury Vale village playground reopens after major £64k makeover

A village playground in Chearsley has reopened after a £64,000 makeover, thanks to a fundraising campaign by a group of villagers.

The project has been led by a group of local volunteers who raised more than £64,000 to completely refurbish the equipment for younger members of the community and for the first time ensure it is fully accessible to wheelchair users and provide some facilities for teenagers in the playground.

Local resident Anne Adams, who initiated and led the project, said: “As a former teacher, I know how important play and playing outside is for young people of all ages.

"Our ageing village playground was well overdue a complete renovation and we have lots of young children in the village and surrounding villages who I know will love using this new playground.

"We also wanted to ensure that the new playground is fully accessible and provide a couple of facilities for local teenagers to help them come together especially after the damaging effects of the recent pandemic.

“The whole project has been led by volunteers and we are extremely grateful to all of our very generous funders who have helped to make this wonderful project a reality.”

MP for Buckingham Greg Smith officially opened the new play area to mark the beginning of The Big Help Out.

Greg Smith said: “The opening of this new playground is a perfect example of the volunteering theme being celebrated today as part of the Coronation Weekend and what volunteering can achieve for the community.

“As a local resident myself with three young children, I know that this playground will be widely used and we are just so lucky to have a very strong volunteering ethos in Chearsley.

"Although this project has been a big undertaking, I hope it will inspire others to get together and make a difference in their communities however small.”

The playground was designed by Caloo Ltd and contains features such as an accessible roundabout, nest swing, trampoline and table tennis table. The project was supported and funded by Buckinghamshire Council, Heart of Bucks Community Foundation, The Bernard Sunley Foundation, The FCC Communities Foundation, Chearsley Parish Council and Chearsley Village Hall Committee.