“Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful!’ and sitting in the shade.” ― Rudyard Kipling
Your responses to our surveys, and ongoing feedback we get, show that one of your top priorities is to bring opportunities for play to the Park. In 2016 we worked with a number of play park equipment suppliers to develop ideas for a play park on the old bowling green, looking for innovative ideas that would help to make the Park more attractive to visitors. For a number of reasons the proposals weren’t suitable to be implemented.
Developing a concept for the whole Park
Learning from this project, rather than rush into bringing forward another play project out of context, we have stood back and taken a broader look at the Park, so that we can put any future proposals for play in the Park into context.
With support from NNDC, we have commissioned a landscape architect, with experience of play in public parks, to work with us to develop an outline plan for the Park to provide a context for future improvements, and to bring forward a detailed design for some play opportunities.
Play time
As part of the brief we have asked for any proposals to address the perceived remoteness and access challenges of the upper lawn, introducing play in innovative ways that are in keeping with the nature of the Park. We have asked the designers to look into using the topography of the upper lawn as a basis for designing play opportunities, rather than implementing a standard play park.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing”
– George Bernard Shaw
This approach has a number of advantages, not least that it will give us a blue-print for the Park that we can all work towards over the coming years, and enable us to deliver opportunities for play within this in the near term (all being well, before the end of the year).
The appointed designers, AREA Landscape Architects, will be at the AGM on 21st March to present their initial thoughts and to give you all a chance to join the debate.
AGM
The AGM will start at 7.30pm on 21st March in Cromer Community Hall. We’ll look at the highs and lows of the last year, share the charity’s financial statement and forecast and then move onto plans for 2018 which will include giving time to discuss the AREA ideas.
Looking forward to seeing you all at the AGM, if not before.
Barry Meadows
