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A “Children’s Fun Day” in support of the refurbishment of the King George V Playing Fields Playground is to be held on May 31st 2008.
You can download a printable copy of the colour poster below in English or in Welsh . Or you can download a printable black and white flyer.
Congratulations all those who voted to nominate our playground. We have now been short listed in the competition to receive the £10,000 grant to refurbish a needy playground. Even if you have already voted to nominate our playground, please vote for us again in the main competition starting Tuesday May 6th.
The winner will be the playground with the most votes, so the Action Group and King George V Playing Fields Committee are urging as many people as possible to vote for our playground by following the link below and clicking the link showing the percentage total for our site. You will need to register with the website in order to vote.
www.mygoodyear.co.uk/buddyZone/
Posters asking people to vote for our park are being put up around town. If you would like to display one or put one up at work, please email Fiona White at nce.actiongroup@btinternet.com
Please get your family to vote too, or send your friends our
special electronic postcard with pictures of the playground and a request to vote.
Thanks!
For late breaking news, please go to the comments section at the foot of this page.
Campaigners for improvements to the play equipment on the King George V playing fields in Newcastle Emlyn have expressed disappointment at what they claim are misleading and negative articles which have appeared in the current editions of local newspapers ‘The Tivyside’ and ‘The Carmarthen Journal’.
The articles were written following ill-tempered exchanges between Town Councillors at their monthly meeting last week. The Councillors were not aware of the good progress being made by the Action Group and Playing Fields Committee and some made very negative comments. The Tivyside newspaper did not contact the organizers to ask for a campaign update before publication of its article.
Sue Tabbitt of the Action Group explained to Newcastle-emlyn.com that:
“The Action Group is now working closely and proactively with the King George V Playing Fields Committee (of which I am a member), to ensure that we are all working together for a rapid resolution to this ongoing problem of a lack of decent outdoor play facilities for the children of this town.
“Members of the Action Group have now joined the Playing Fields Committee and Fiona White, now a Town Councillor, now attends meetings and is working closely with us on tracking down new grants to apply for, and on filling in the forms very comprehensively.
“We had a very successful Bingo Night at the local sports club earlier this month (early April) which was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and more are planned.
“The Fun Day** will make full use of the Playing Fields and aims to make a big splash, with bouncy castles, an auction of promises, and loads of child-oriented activities (face painting, crafts, etc). A big feature of the day is that Playworld UK, a firm which makes and fits playground equipment, is coming down, free of charge, with laptops and images, so that the town’s children (of all ages) can participate proactively in designing their own ideal playground, to make them feel more involved, and so that the town can see what the new playground could look like if the funds come in this year.
“We urge everyone to support come and support the event, and this important cause.”
Sue Tabbitt has written to the Tivyside newspaper to correct their article.
**The Fun Day referred to above will take place on Saturday 31st May, between 10am and 4pm, at the current playground site in Newcastle Emlyn on the King George V playing fields, next to the central car park. All are welcome; there will be activities for all. All funds raised go directly towards the new playground.
The Children of Ysgol Y Ddwylan in Newcastle Emlyn received a grant from the environmental group Action Earth recently. Last Saturday they constructed a willow tunnel in the grounds of the school. The children have already won the coveted Green Flag status as an Eco School by recycling, composting and being particularly aware of wasting resources.
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Click for larger image
They are also involved in the campaign to make their town a plastic bag free zone. The grant from Action Earth was to help them improve their surroundings with sustainable, natural play equipment. Year 6B had already built a willow dome and the tunnel is a fantastic addition. The tunnel was planted and woven by a team of volunteers. The Eco Committee would like to thank everyone who helped and particularly Action Earth and Morrisons for their support.
You can leave a comment on this story at the foot of the page
A group of mothers of young children have called for urgent improvements to the play area in Newcastle Emlyn’s “King George V Playing Fields”. They have described the play equipment as “unsafe, and a disgrace to the town” and plan to take their children to a play area in Llandysul (8 miles away), if Newcastle Emlyn’s facilities are not upgraded by the summer.
Fiona White, a spokeswoman for the group, said:
“The equipment doesn’t meet with safety regulations. It is broken and dangerous. How the Town Council website can say, under amenities, it “boasts” a children’s play park is a wonder to me! It’s not something I would boast about!
“The slow rate at which the playing fields committee has raised funds over its 28 year history has simply not been sufficient to maintain or replace the equipment. The situation is now desperate and a lump sum is needed to make real improvements.
“We feel that the community which pays already through Council Tax together with the revenue the car park must generate, should not be chased year after year to buy raffle tickets, when the target amount to be raised is so far beyond our reach. After 28 years, the community is naturally very disheartened and sceptical about whether anything will change if things continue to be tackled as they are. Having a decent, safe play area for the town’s children is a basic right, yet in Newcastle Emlyn it is simply not being met. With Government targets to tackle obesity and the sedentary lifestyle many families slip into, surely this is the perfect opportunity to make a difference in our town.
“The Chairman of the Playing Fields Committee has told us that an application has been made to the National Lottery Fund, but a successful outcome cannot guaranteed so we have written to Carmarthenshire County Council asking for support. They have been helpful but say it is not their responsibility and pointed us towards “Fields In Trust” for ideas.
“We have decided to try and move things forward by starting an action group and organising a petition. This will show any funding body that the strength of community feeling on the issue. I encourage everyone to sign the petition and give us their thoughts on how to proceed.”
The action group can be contacted at nce.actiongroup@btinternet.com
