New sensory space at Exotic Zoo, thanks to Telford 50 Legacy grant
Dozens of groups across the borough are improving a vast range of community buildings and facilities, thanks to the £2 million Telford 50 Legacy Fund.
The list of groups and a brief description of their projects is on Telford 50 website.
Here is how another group is using the Telford 50 Legacy Funding and what impact this is having in their community (previous stories were published in our newsroom and on the Telford 50 website).
Exotic Zoo in Priorslee has been awarded a grant of £16,502 to create a special sensory space within the solar dome at the Zoo in Priorslee.
Scott Adams, Director of the Zoo said: “The Telford 50 grant has been greatly appreciated - with the help of it, we are currently turning the solar area within our Zoo into a space we could use for the community.
“It will become a dedicated sensory area for vulnerable and hard to reach groups in Telford and Wrekin, where they can learn and be engaged in.
“Or maybe come along to benefit in some animal assisted therapy. Special attention has been made to make it a great space for work with young people suffering from conditions such as ADHD and Asperger’s.
“The area is being refurbished with artificial trees and plants to accommodate lots of exciting interactive activities and the path to the sensory dome is also being resurfaced, thanks to the Telford 50 grant.
“We hope lots of visitors will enjoy and make use of our new facility.”
On a visit to Exotic Zoo to see the new sensory space, Cllr Richard Overton commented: “The new sensory dome at the Exotic Zoo is another great legacy of Telford 50, which will be enjoyed by thousands of people in our borough.
“The Telford 50 Legacy fund has awarded lots of grants to community centres all across the borough for different refurbishment projects that will ensure these vital centres are in use for another 50 years.”
As part of this anniversary in 2018, the Telford 50 Legacy Fund was open to bids from community groups, charities, social enterprises, town and parish councils, schools or faith groups.
Dozens of groups put forward bids for a share of the £240,000 grant to go towards improving a range of community buildings and facilities within Telford and Wrekin and helping create new facilities.
Successful bidders must also contribute an extra 20% in match funding.
As such, the Telford 50 Legacy Fund supports a variety of projects including replacement of roofs, installation of solar panels, replacement of kitchen facilities, new lifts, refurbishment of toilets and many others.
News on these schemes is published on www.telford50.co.uk/legacy
Pictured at the new sensory dome at Exotic Zoo (left to right): Cllr Richard Overton (Cabinet Member for Communities), Scoot Adams (Director of Exotic Zoo)
