Parish Councillor Peter Rose writes …
The Parish Council is working on plans to improve the playground at Acklings. This will provide a larger playground at the west end of the village. A playground company, Jupiter, has designed the site for us with advice from a resident who is a landscape architect.
The playground will provide a range of equipment but focussing on the needs of older children, which will complement the facilities at Bodkins and Westfield Road.
Download a plan of the new playground and artist’s impressions.
We need your help
The council is now seeking grants to fund the improvements. Grants are very competitive and our application would be helped if we can submit expressions of support from residents with our application. If you feel able, please do this using the comment box below.
This playground will be an excellent and welcome addition to the village. I have 3 children all of whom are based in Long Wittenham, we would make use of this playground space regularly.
The new playground on Acklings Play Field is a fantastic addition to our village. Its central location is easily accessible to residents and complements the existing pump track perfectly. Moreover, its proximity to the Didcot to Long Wittenham cycle path makes it convenient for families traveling by bike.
The proposed equipment is an exciting improvement, especially with the inclusion of more advanced features that will challenge older children, like my 5- and 7-year-olds and their friends, who have outgrown other local parks.
The planting of additional trees is another excellent touch, particularly appreciated by the environmentally conscious children of Long Wittenham. I wholeheartedly support this project and am grateful to the council for their dedication to enhancing our community spaces.
This will be such an asset to the village and a great use of the space down there.
I think this is a great idea and fully support . Also there needs to be good signage so anyone new to the village know where the play area is.
Children learn through play and out door safe spaces are so important for children of all ages.
Much needed area for older children/early teenagers
Also nice to know that people were consulted on what equipment was wanted
Three good areas
Westfield tots play area
Bodkins for younger children
And now Acklings
This will be an amazing addition to the village and is making excellent use of an under utilised space. The zip line and table tennis area in particular will be greatly used by older children, for whom there are limited resources available within the village. I am in full support of the proposals.
A fantastic addition to the village. The table tennis table and zip wire will be popular with my two children aged 9 and 11. I also really like the landscaping which is very in keeping with the site and our rural location. What a great use of space! Thank you to all who have put this proposal together and I fully support it.
Wow what a wonderful way to use the space, exciting equipment for older children, a destination playground in line with play facilities in other local villages.
I particularly like that there will be plenty of seating to encourage longer visits, picnics & somewhere to rest and supervise whilst children are playing.
The additional tree planting and landscaping will make the site more attractive, in a very under used area at present. All in all a very well thought out plan, congratulations to our Parish Council for involving local residents in the project who have provided their experience & expertise.
Thankyou
I concur with everything that sally Duff has mentioned in the previous post. A much needed development for the village, encouraging the proper use of the underutilised site.
Many thanks.
We fully support this amazing plan for Acklings Park. I have a 6 and 4 year old and would make use of this park regularly, especially due to it being in close proximity of our house. The designs and play equipment look fantastic and would be a welcome addition to the village. As a family we would make use of the table tennis and basketball areas too. Play is crucial for children and this project will enhance more outside play for our children.
Looks absolutely fantastic! Will be lovely for the older children to have somewhere to let off some steam.
A great plan to upgrade this area and make it in to a space for children to play outside in a welcoming and pleasant environment . I fully support this plan.
This looks like a brilliantly well thought out plan, which is much needed in the village. We desperately need something for the older children and teens, ever more so with our growing village and population!
We are so excited about the plans for Acklings Park! It looks so well thought through and a great use of the space. We live down the road and our two boys will use it for many years to come. It has our full support.
Thank you so much to everyone that’s been involved in getting it to this point.
What a brilliant plan! Yes, please, this would be a great addition to the village!
I fully support this amazing project, the children living in villages need somewhere to meet and play safely. The plan looks very well thought out taking into consideration the surrounding area. Well done and can’t wait to see it completed.
This looks brilliant! Showed Freya the design and she said it was ” awesome”. It would definitely get used by all ages, this has been well thought out and designed. Thank you for doing an amazing job on it Claire. Can’t wait to use it.
This looks like an excellent plan to augment the playgrounds already available but more suited to younger children. The planting around the area will be a welcome addition. I can’t wait to see it!
This design is exactly what the village needs. So many kids of all ages will be able to make use of the site, and hopefully it will become a social hub for the main village as the other, existing site is out of town. Hopefully this goes ahead!
What a thoughtfully designed space in fitting with the local area. It will be a real asset to the village and my sons would love playing here. A space we’d make a lot of use out of!
The plan seems very well thought out and would be such a welcome addition to the village to get more children engaged in green spaces. I love that the design of the mounts even incorporates a quirky nod to the clumps, tying it in with the landscape! I can see that this would fast become both my children’s favourite hangout. So exciting!!
Fully in support of the proposal. The village does not have good amenities for older children, and the proposed playground would address this gap and allow them to be entertained safely in the village. It would also complement and encourage use of the existing pump track which was recently installed through community effort.
The village population is growing rapidly and is in need of more playground facilities.
The existing Acklings site is underutilised as it stands, and is ideally located at the opposite end of the village from the Bodkins site, and is safe to access on foot.
My son (4) would use this regularly were it to be built.
With three young children this will be a wonderful addition to the facilities for children in the village. The layout looks excellent especially for slightly older children
This is a well thought out plan. When we have visiting children they will love the Wittenham mounds to climb and try the zip wire and tabletennis sounds great for children and adults to play together. And places to rest and have a picnic is great too.
A very impressive design for Acklings . It provides excellent facilities for children of all ages in a very well planned environmentally friendly setting .
I fully support this .
Great initiative, seems very well thought through and will benefit also villages near by as play areas for juniors and older children are so needed.
Well done to all involved. This looks great, and will be very appreciated by all those living locally. Thank you.
This is an excellent idea and will significantly improve the recreational facilities available for children in the village. At the moment if you want challenging equipment that will keep children entertained for any length of time we find it necessary to travel to Abingdon or Wallingford. These improvements will negate the need to travel and save on fuel.
There are very few social/exercise/play facilities in Long Wittenham and our public bus service is being cut again – we now only have one bus through the village on two days of the week, which is hard on youngsters and single car families. What does a mum do with two young children when they are stuck in the village during school holidays and weekends? The proposed Acklings Play Area is a perfect way for youngsters to explore and develop in the fresh air.
The village is set to expand again, so this play area will perfect for the current and future young residents.