Save Hook Norton Playground

The playground is old and equipment is now being removed and not replaced. Fully rejuventating the playground will cost in the region of Ł85,000. We are collecting donations online - a donation towards this campaign will help ensure we get the funds we need. Your individual contribution, no matter how small, will make a difference.
Please use the paypal button below, or email emma@savetheplayground.co.uk for bank and cheque details.

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To date we have raised over Ł25,000 including grants from Cherwell District Council and a donations from the Hook Norton Beer Festival, Hook Norton Charitable Foundation, Oxfordshire Community Foundation, Viridor Credits Oxfordshire and generous donations from villagers, the local handbell ringers, and local companies including Hook Norton Vets.

We are currently applying for various sources of funding and in order to secure grants we need as many testimonials from as many people as possible. Please leave your comments using the form below.

In order to understand the needs and requirements of the village in relation to the new playground, we have prepared a village questionnaire. If for some reason you have not recieved your copy, please download it here.

We have a very popular group on Facebook which you are welcome to join Save the playground, or you may leave a message in the village forums, email emma@savetheplayground.co.uk or fill in the form below.

Vote for our project in the Bovril Outoor Revival Campaign here

The team have been visiting lots of very lovely playgrounds - take a look at some photo's.

Add your playground testimonial - please, its really important we get as many as possible!

Testimonials

Name:James Tomalin
Message: The park is an important space in the village, and it is a great shame it is currently lacking in equipment. I know that the park provides many hours of happy outdoor play for the children of the village and fully support the efforts to renew the equipment

Name:Lady Marie Stubbs
Message: As a former Headmistress I really value the opportunity for children to play safely and well together- it helps them be fit, socialise and most importantly have fun. I never miss the chance to take my smaller grand-children to the play area and they love it. Let us work together to make this a great place for Hooky youngsters.

Name:Paula Lloyd
Message: Any parent with children in the village will know how important the park is. Not only for the children to play but for the mothers old and new to meet friends and socialise. The play equipment is old, worn and past It's best. The children of Hook Norton deserve better and I fully support any campaign to give this area a new lease of life. I feel very proud to live in a beautiful village as Hook Norton and I would like the park to reflect this.

Name:Luci Fairbrother
Message: The play park in Hook Norton has the potential to be the best in the area if the equipment is replaced. The slide/climbing frame was very old but essentially was a great piece of kit and somethign very similar ought to go in the same spot. This playground is in a perfect location and provides a great safe place (ie away from traffic) for children of all ages to meet and play. It would be scandalous if this are were allowed to be taken away from our own children and the future generations. It cannot be allowed.

Name:Allison Hicks
Message: The playground is a great resource for the village, and provides a safe, traffic free area for children of all ages to meet up and play in (and for their carers too). It is extensively used, and the removed equipment is sorely missed. I fully support the campaign to rejuvinate the park, so that it can be the best park in the area, that can be enjoyed by young and old for many years to come.

Name:Alix rodwell
Message: I have been going to hooky playground for years its where me and all my friends go to socialse we find it a safe environment to be alone with out having to worry about not having supervision it a very friendly environment but with out the equiptment its a bit dull we really need shjeletered places to sit when it rains and thats what every one used the ledge under the playground for despite the amount of grafiti on the slides abnd other aparatus it was still a very welcoming sight to see it looks to empty with out the adventure playround it also looks quite empty and dull where the old skate ramps used to be

Name:Rebecca Rux-Burton
Message: My two little girls who are 6 and 5 love the playground. It is a wonderful space for them to play with their friends from the village, and for older children to meet.

Name:Doug Marshall, Hook Norton Recreation and Environment Warden.
Message: Hook Norton Park is a beautiful,centrally located open space with well laid out mature trees,hide and seek bushes, picnic spaces and benches where carers can sit and chat while keeping an eye on their little ones. Being well spread out the formal play equipment encourages children to toddle or run - and grandparents to totter! - from one item to another,gaining healthy exercise and fresh air in the process. The ravages of fifteen years of weather,together with wear and tear of constant use has resulted in equipment being removed for safety reasons. Due to financial constraints the Parish Council has been unable to replace it so there are glaring gaps waiting to be filled. The Council takes It's duty of care seriously and employs a retired, C.R.B Checked person (myself) to keep the park clean and welcoming. All litter is removed , bins emptied and equipment safety checked daily. Any faults are rectified and a full written report is made each month. Local fund raising is being undertaken but the cost of replacement equipment is high and only with grant assistance will the P.C. and Park Supporters Group be able provide it. For the health,safety and general well being of our village community, let\'s hope we are successful.

Name:Alison Driver
Message: The park is an important and necessary part of our village. It is a green and pleasant traffic free zone and a brilliant place for children to forget about things, energize themselves and play. Also it is a great place for adults to meet and chat.An up-date is long over due...but with a new design and new equipment this space could be amazing.

Name:Vanessa Porter
Message: The park is central to the lives of our children. We go there almost every day and ride bikes. play on the equipment and meet friends. It's such a great space and It's a shame that there has been little obvious recent investment. There is a good variety of equipment but it all feels as if it is on It's last legs. Living in the village would not be the same for my children without the park.

Name:Alice, age 9
Message: The park is really boring now that the main play equipment has gone. I want to save the park so that everyone can have fun again like we used to. We would like the same equipment as before with a slide, poles, tyres ,and a climbing frame. We would also like monkey bars, small ropes, climbing walls. We would like an area with benches and tables so we can talk and chat with our friends.

Name:Lisa Nottingham
Message: The village park has always been a fantastic facility that everyone has been able to enjoy. I really hope that the equipment is replaced as it is being sorely missed by many children, both from Hooky and the surrounding areas.

Name:Jackie Davies
Message: Myself and my family strongly feel that the equipment in the park must be replaced as soon as possible. Undoubtedly for most of the children in Hooky the park is \'the\' meeting place. In my experience it is very busy, toddlers play alongside teenagers, with every age range inbetween, with rarely any problems. We are lucky. If the entertainment for the young is not replaced this will not be the case. The equipment is sadly missed .....by toddlers trying to reach the top....small boys and girls playing pirates+ princesses......all ages racing round+ round +up+ down playing \'it\'...... teenagers hanging out on the ledge texting and chatting. All the children want is to play in their park and to know that us adults will do all we can to protect and replace it for them, I think they deserve it :)

Name:Lucy
Message: KEEP HOOKY PARK ITS COOL Xxx

Name:Katie Matthews
Message: its unfair on all the little kids that used to go up there and slide down the slide and think its amazing, the other day a kid and dad came into the park and the kid nearly started cryin because there was no \"BIG\" Slide anymore bless him, we need it, please let us have it back for the kids sake

Name:Sammi & Barney Newman
Message: We love the hookey playground and it is really important to our family (2 under 2 !! & 2 x 7 yrs +) Happy to help in anyway !! Keep us informed

Name:Conor Davies
Message: i think that they should get a huge playground replaced 4 the red slide playground that i have seen that looks GOOD and suitable 4 all ages, new basketball nets cos i saw loads of people play wiv those, 4 the older1s: a BMX track, that me Jay and Freddie saw in the wicksteed book with a graffiti wall and a shelter near the steps of the park ( at the back). Also little climbing frames dotted around the centre of the park 4 all ages cos i think sum look well cwl!!. That is how i would like my park 2 be.

Name:Gareth Lewis
Message: This playground is a focal point for the local children after school and during the holidays. Without the equipment it becomes just another space with nothing for children of all ages to enjoy

Name:Duggan Family
Message: There\'s another way to look at a playground. It is a great place for children to play, parents to chat etc. However, it serves another purpose. It tells children (and teenagers) that they matter - that they are an important part of the village. What a great return on a relatively small investment!

Name:Tony Baldry MP
Message: Hook Norton is a growing and vibrant village. Important for the life of any village is the wellbeing and happiness of village children and their ability to play safely. One would anticipate that a village the size of Hook Norton would have a playground with different types of play equipment that could be used by children of different ages.

Name:Kate Luxton
Message: The playground is an essential part of Hook Norton. There are so many children who enjoy it and so many parents who benefit from the respite it offers. Not only is it a place for parents to chat but for kids to get fresh air and exercise.

Name:Peter Skelton
Message: The Park is a great asset to the village and one of the few amenities that school and pre-school aged children have. it is a safe, healthy and fun area. However without equipment it is just a field and will not attract children or stimulate them. The village has a large population of children and desperately needs a modern, exceiting park for them. We whole-heartedly support the move for improved and new equipment for the park.

Name:Sammons Family
Message: We have three children, four grandparents, and two parents who would have not kept sane without the park. A place to enjoy, feel safe and be positive about. In the last ten years I have used the park with my children, things have slowly been taken away and not replaced. My sadness is that pubic investment in a place for young people appears to be relatively small and it is now reliant on fundraising and goodwill to improve it.

Name:Peter Millar
Message: The playground is an important village asset. My children, when younger, much enjoyed using the equipment but they have grown up and it has broken down. We need as much help s possible in replacing it!

Name:Annabel shawcross
Message: The playground is a great place to meet up at all sorts of times, with younger children after dropping older ones off at school, before and after playgroup and after school. We have had plygriup parties there,birthday parties and kids of all ages enjoy the space and equipment, it is so sad that this central part of hook norton childhood is slowly dissapearing. Kids of all ages play there and it would be great to get new play equipment for all ages

Name:Doug Reeves
Message: The importance of child health cannot be understated . The village playground is an central area where children can exercise whilst enjoying play and fun in a safe environment. The equipment should updated to stimulate the various age groups that use the playground. I fully support this campaign to maintain and improve the playground for future years.

Name:Nicky Levitt
Message: I regularly take my son, Edward up to the playground and have done so since he was a baby. It's a great village resource and, when we go, we are rarely the only people there. It's a shame it has become so run down and that there are not many activities for the children. I\'d love to see it given a new lease of life.

Name:Cathy Nicholls
Message: The park is central to village life for people with children. Its a meeting place for kids and their carers. It gets kids to have fun being active outside- something we are always being told to encourage by the powers that be.

Name:Mortimer Family
Message: The park was the first place we came to in Hook Norton, leaving our three kids there with grandparents whilst we looked at houses - they were safe, happy and entertained... we owe it to toddlers and teenagers alike to give them a fun and safe space...

Name:Kim Harris
Message: The park in Hook Norton is an important meeting place for the young and old(er) members of our community. My 3 children have always loved the park and can loose hours there even now they are getting older. The park kept me sane when they were all little - it gave us an excuse to get out for some exercise and to meet people. We must not underestimate the value of the park in this village. LONG LIVE THE PARK !!!

Name:Loic Robertson
Message: When we visited Hook Norton for the very first time while house-hunting, the park really stood out and impressed us. It seemed such a lovely place and something to be really proud of for the village. It would be such a shame to see it disappear or left to ruin. We must act together to save it. Our kids (6 and 4) absolutely love it and we would all definitely spend more time there if the equipment was in better shape.

Name:Lucas family
Message: We all hope the play equipment is replaced soon. Our children all enjoyed playing on it when they were younger . The park is a lifeline for children, teenagers and parents alike.

Name:John Styles
Message: We regularly take our son JoJo up to the playground and have done so since he was a baby. It's a great village resource and It's a shame it has become so run down and there is less equipment for the children to play on now. The park is a particularly important place for JoJo as he is an only child, and It's a safe environment for him to socialise with other children.

Name:Jamie Robinson
Message: In an age and a society where Children have less and less opportunity to BE children, the run and laugh and do simple, non commercial and natural things, an activity area is vital. The loss of the climbing frames is a travesty and illustrates exactly why the kit is needed and why more facilities for kids of all ages is needed to maintain community cohesion. WE MUST RESTORE IT.

Name:john morris
Message: The play ground is an integral part of the village. There has to be a place where young people can play and meet their friends. It's part of growing up. It really must be maintained even if there is some vandalism. This seems to be so obvious that it should not need to be said. There is a suspicion that the playground is destined to be developed for housing. If this happens it is a severe blow to the youngsters in our village.

Name:Howard Family
Message: Everything I hear in the press tells me that children don\'t spend enough time outside, here is a great facility for the village which currently cannot be used to its full potential. My children have always loved going to the park, not only do they have fun playing but when we first moved to the village it was great to meet other children. I hope this is an opportunity to provide Hook Norton with a play area it can be proud of.

Name:Nat shepherd
Message: i think the park is a great place to go and play in and go and socialise, when i was little i used to love the slide and play on it alot. i hope it is replaced and i hope this time its here to stay.

Name:Luke and Georgia Street
Message: Hook Norton playground is a place where we can play with our friends safely. It is a shame now that we don\'t have as much to play on. We hope that with help we can have a fantastic park again that everyone can enjoy.

Name:mix family
Message: when we fisrt moved to hook norton we did not know anyone the park was a great plce to go to meet people and let the boys burn off some energy. The park is vital to community life so to see it revamped will be great!

Name:Chris Green
Message: I've spent many hours in the playground with my two children. The climbing frame/ slide provided them with a challenge when they were little, but it also worked when they were bigger so something similar would be fine. A lot of older children play football in the park, so a mini-pitch with goal posts would be very well used.

Name:Gordon and Grace King
Message: We have just moved here during the summer. We have used the playground lots of times and we love it. We would like to see more play equipement. It is a really big playground which is away from the traffic, so it is very safe for us. We would hate to see it taken away.

Name:Gary
Message: My 3 year old son visits the park nearly every day. Each time that I am with him, he takes me to the place where the multi play stood, and asks me where it has gone. The loss of this key item of play ground furniture is unfortunate, but it gives us the chance to replace it with new and improved equipment.

Name:Malcolm Black
Message: Hook Norton enjoys a diverse range of activities and it would not be the same if future generations were denied some of these activities. The playground is an essential part of village life both for those resident and those visiting grandparents or other relatives I know that my two grandchildren always ask to visit the playground when they visit us and it is much appreciated.

Name:Kirsty Plumb
Message: Hook Norton park is an invaluable part of our village community. My children enjoy the park immensley and it is always in use no matter what time of year it is. We need the remaining equipment improved & replaced and further items added & the park rejuvenated into an area that caters for the whole community.

Name:Jem Hayward
Message: It's great to see so much enthusiasm for the playground from kids of all ages. Lets all work hard and together to make it really great, and then let's look after it well.

Name:Roy Goldsmith
Message: Everything should be done to save and improve the play area for the young of the village. Consideration should also be given to improving the car parking facilities around the play area