Dawley Park to get the fitness bug thanks to Community Pride Fund
Dawley Park is set to add some extra muscle to its appeal with the installation of a range of new free to use outdoor gym equipment, as a part of drive to get more people to use the park.
The equipment, along with a permanent power source in the park to help run more free public events, will go in later this month.
This comes after Friends of Dawley Park secured over £21,000 of funding from the Council’s £1.26 million Community Pride Fund.
The Friends group bid for the money which will fund the power source and 10 pieces of outdoor gym equipment including airwalkers, rowers and skiers that anyone can use. This will give Dawley Park the biggest outdoor gym in Telford and Wrekin.
As well as getting more people using the park, the Friends hope that will encourage more people to get fitter and healthier.
The Friends group has put £1,000 towards the scheme, as have partners Sanctuary Housing.
Jane Pinter, chair of Friends of Dawley Park, said; “This will be a great addition to the Park and will get many more people out and about and enjoying it.
“The gym equipment will appeal to those who want be more active while the permanent power source will help us to put on more and better community events in the park.
“Without the Community Pride Fund, we would have found it very difficult to make this happen.”
The Community Pride is £1.26 million pot that the Council made available for community groups, charities and business to bid for. The scheme is supporting 37 projects across the borough with grants from between £100,000 to £2,800. It forms part of the Council’s Pride in Your Community programme.
Cllr Shaun Davies, cabinet member for Neighbourhoods, Employment and Skills added; “It’s great to see groups coming forward with schemes such as this and the Community Pride Fund making a real difference across Telford and Wrekin.
“Following the success of last year’s scheme, which was significantly oversubscribed, the Council has made funding available to run the fund again in 2017.”
The Friends of Dawley Park hosts the first of a series of events in the park on Saturday 21 March with a spring clean from 10am-12 noon, followed by shrub planting on Thursday 9 April, 10am – noon.
