I’m extremely disappointed at the negativity of your comments Denise and your easy dismissal of the efforts of a small group of people to make a difference. I’ve waited 24 hours before responding to ensure that I’ve carefully considered what you’ve said. It’s not so much your specific comments, which are very personal to you and your family, but the complete lack of any positive balance in what you have to say that I still find upsetting.
Surely you would agree that the new equipment is a significant improvement on what was available, even before the arson attack that completely destroyed the old equipment? Or would you rather we hadn’t bothered? Your comments make me feel that I and the other Friends of the Park have wasted our time. Perhaps I should pack it all in and turn my attention to domestic matters, like the new kitchen my wife would like, or the garden pond we want to build but never have the time.
Replacing the play equipment that was destroyed has been a significant challenge, not least because the huge expense of replacing the old bark pit with tarmac and safe surface. This was necessary due to maintenance and hygiene problems with bark pits and the risks to your children associated with broken glass, needles and the like.
As a result of this it is costing close to £37,000, not just a few thousand pounds for some new equipment. That we have raised 10% of this ourselves and coaxed the council into finding the rest of it within 12 months of the arson attack is, I think, highly commendable and something I’m proud to have been involved in. But perhaps I’m foolish to think that?
With regard to your specific comments, I’m sorry you don’t think the equipment will challenge your 5 year old but it is not designed specifically for children of that age. It is targeted at an age range of 18 months to 6 years, so an advanced five year old is right at the upper end of the range. Perhaps the equipment in the junior play area would challenge your 5 year old more appropriately? I know the signs say that it is for 7 years and over but all youngsters seem to want to move to the next level before they’ve reached the correct age (a bit like wanting to drink beer before you’re 18 or retire when you’re 50)
I suppose also we should brace ourselves for criticism from parents of 18-month-old kids who are too challenged by the new equipment? Which is a bit like your other comment really.
The teen rotator is targeted at 12 to 16 year olds but of course there is no such thing as a standard 12 to 16 year old and the height range of this age group can be enormous. The height of the rotator is designed to be the best compromise possible but it will never fit everyone. If it were lower we would have tall 16 year olds who couldn’t use it without their feet dragging on the floor. You don’t say how old your teenager is but I hope that he / she will soon grow tall enough to use the rotator, not to mention the other new equipment that we hope to install in that area in the future.
