Children's & Youth's
Games Facilities

a village regeneration programme

EASTFIELD PLAY PARK - June 2009

A long awaited upgrade to the play equipment at the Play Park has been planned and financed by the Parish Council.  In the early days of June the first phase of the installation took place and will enormously please the 4 - 13 year olds that seek village entertainment!  The equipment was made fully available by 10 June and comprised of two new swings units, a bouncy seesaw and a slide and climb unit.  There will be a formal opening on 25 July to coincide with a fund raising event in the Village Hall and on the Play Park.  A second group of park 'toys' will be installed later this year and the whole will be surrounded by a stylish fence to discourage encroachment of dogs onto the grass.  The centre part of the area will be kept clear for games and events, as it always has been since the park was established through the kindness of Buswell Company who ran a business known as the "Bacon factory" from around 1920 - 1970 near this location.

MUGA - MULTI-USE GAMES AREA - June 2009

This event, along with the provision of the shelter described below, marks the beginning of a regeneration of the Blisworth "Playing Fields" led substantially by Jane Percival who has worked closely with the Parish Council.

Just 45 years ago, to almost the day, the Village Hall & Playing Fields Association had managed to acquired the six acres of "Parish Lands" from the Northamptonshire County Council.  They had laid grass for football and cricket pitches and established a rudimentary pavilion for the football clubs, with changing rooms and showers.  The occasion was celebrated by a 40 yard race for youngsters across the new grass - Major Hereward Wake with the starting pistol.  The money required, £3365, was assembled with an  Education Grant of about £1000, a £1900 sum collected by villagers in fund raising and a small loan that was soon to be paid off.  The Association was formed in 1945 and the following 19 years after that was needed to accumulate the £1900. Prime movers in 1964 were Parish Cllr. Rivett, Cllr. Sid Whitmore and a new village headmaster - Len Piggott.

THE BLISWORTH YOUTH SHELTER - August 2008

This briefly describes the story to establish a Meeting Place 'youth shelter' in the village

The Blisworth Youth Shelter - The shelter has been dedicated to the memory of
Timothy James Spooner who died at Blisworth on 17th. May 2008 aged 21 yr.
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06.06.2008  A few villagers, led by Jane Percival, have managed to place in reservation the funding that will be needed and have tried to find a suitable site - not with much initial success at this time.  The shelter is intended to be simply a shelter against the weather and a meeting place for village teenagers - the age range 15 to 19 years is to be catered for.  The shelter would have no door and would not be subject to any adult supervision but would be maintained by the VH&PF Association.

23.06.2008  The proposed location of the youth shelter had boiled down to between two places; (1) on land adjacent to the Royal Oak (well over towards the left, as viewed from the High Street) - presently being considered by the owner of the Royal Oak and (2) on 'playing field' land near the football club.  The first of these is more favoured by the project organisers and the police.  The decision of the Royal Oak owners has been long awaited.

08.07.2008  The shelter is to be installed in the only remaining place for which there was general agreement; adjacent to the Football Club buildings and the playing fields.  The location is analogous to the nearby installations at Old Stratford and Greens Norton which are on their respective recreation fields.

23.08.2008 - Installation was completed.  As will be evident in the photograph, the shelter is very modern in design, being a two part dome made of steel tubing and transparent durable polycarbonate sheet over a nice circular suite of yellow seats.  It may be eventually equipped with its own street light or with solar-powered lighting, which turns on automatically as darkness falls, if the need is demonstrated. There is to be a bike-rack and litter bin nearby. The shelter is expected to greatly appeal to our youngsters who had a hand, literally, in installing the concrete floor, leaving hand prints and scribed initials for posterity in the hardening concrete.  The shelter will also be a 'fun place' for toddlers, judging from the photograph, and will be a good resting place for walkers and casual football spectators; indeed it is an asset to the village.

That this project has been brought to fruition despite, at times, encountering difficult circumstances is due to the perseverance of Jane Percival.  Amongst the small band of helpers, the efforts of Clare Dunckley and Alan Hargreaves particularly stand out.  Well done!