Children’s play equipment has been added to the village green, including swings, a slide and a climbing frame, the latter funded by Veolia and EHDC. The toilets have been refurbished and a new sound system installed.
Sunday (18 December 2016) saw the official unveiling of an early Christmas present for children and young people living in Beech – a great new piece of play equipment for the popular and well-used Beech Village Green, Wellhouse Road, near Alton.
David Woodroofe, Chairman of Beech Parish Council will performed the ceremony at 3pm, just before the Beech Children’s Christmas party.
The project was led by Beech Village Hall and Recreation Ground Management Committee and saw the installation of a rope climbing-frame and safety surfacing on the playground at the Village Green.
This was originally opened in August 2013 It was the idea of some new local parents who wanted to provide a play facility for children in the village. A fundraising campaign, run by a small sub-committee, raised enough funds for the installation of a set of swings and a climbing tower.
The new frame has already been extremely popular and now it has been installed, the committee’s attention has turned to providing something for older children. The climbing frame, which comprises several wooden posts with nets and ropes slung between them, was selected because it would provide lots of opportunities for climbing and fun.
The Veolia Environmental Trust awarded up to £12,343 through the Landfill Communities Fund and Cllr Tony Costigan awarded a grant of £500 through the East Hampshire District Council Councillor Grant scheme. The shortfall was met by the management committee from its fundraising and income from the village hall.
Treasurer and committee member, Anne Whitaker, says, “The structure has already been incredibly popular and we are looking forward to many years of use and enjoyment. We would like to thank The Veolia Environmental Trust and Cllr Tony Costigan for their funding.”
The additional rope climber was installed in September 2016:
