Treeton playpark fit for use again thanks to £9,000 OnPath Energy wind farm grant

Families in a South Yorkshire village are coming back out to play after the completion of a successful community fundraising campaign.

After being in place for more than 20 years, the equipment in the popular playpark in the village of Treeton near Rotherham had begun to show its age, with reports into its worsening condition leading to some pieces of equipment being removed or having to be taken out of service.

To address the threat of the park having to be closed completely, the management committee at theTreeton Memorial Community Centre & Playing Fields charity, which is responsible for the playpark’supkeep, launched a campaign to secure the £13,000 that was needed to put things right.

After starting to raise the money from a range of different sources, a £9,000 grant from thecommunity fund linked to OnPath Energy’s nearby Penny Hill Wind Farm Community Fund took the fundraisers past their target and allowed them to get the required work carried out at the WashfieldLane site.

New, safer flooring and matting has been installed, a swing which had been removed has been repaired and put back into place, and work has also been carried out to deliver long-term improvements to the landscaping around the area which will make it safer for visiting families

Several groups in the village have previously benefited from grants from the Penny Hill Wind Farm Community Fund over the years, and this latest community contribution couldn’t have come at a better time.

Keith Haynes, chair of trustees at the Treeton Memorial Community Centre and Playing Fields charity, says: “The playpark is a real focal point for many local children and families, and with more new homes currently being built in the village, it’s never been as popular as it is today.

“The gradual degradation of the equipment had reached the point where something substantial needed to be done about it, with the risk of the playpark having to be closed completely becoming a very real threat.

“The cost of putting things right realty blew us away, and with lots of different costs to cover, we didn’t have the money to pay for the improvements that were so urgently needed.

“Several groups in the village have previously benefited from grants from the Penny Hill Wind Farm Community Fund over the years, and this latest community contribution couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We’ve had a fantastic response from local families to the improvements that we’ve made and the playpark is now all set up for everyone to keep enjoying through the summer and beyond.

“We wouldn’t have been able to make these crucial improvements to the playpark without OnPath Energy’s continuing support and we’re really grateful to have them on our village’s side once again.”

OnPath Energy (formerly Banks Renewables) owns and operates the Penny Hill Wind Farm, which sits to the south east of Rotherham and west of the junction of the M1 and M18.

The Penny Hill Wind Farm Community Fund is ring-fenced to support community and environmental projects within the parishes of Aston, Thurcroft, Treeton, Ulley and Whiston, with other local organisations that have previously received funding from it including Ulley Sailing Club, Whiston Parish Council, the Friends of Ulley Country Park, Thurcroft Welfare Community Hall and the UlleyMillennium Trust.

Robin Winstanley, sustainability and community director, adds: “Community playparks like Treeton’s are an absolutely vital resource for young families’ health and well-being.

“We’re very pleased to be able to step in again with this latest grant from the Penny Hill Wind Farm Community Fund and hope everyone enjoys spending more time out playing in the open air.”

Environmental and community projects in the vicinity of the Penny Hill Wind Farm which are interested in applying to its Community Fund should first contact the fund manager via apply@onpathcommunityfund.co.uk or on 0191 378 6342 to confirm that their group or project is eligible.