Swalcliffe Community Woodland Play Park

Swalcliffe Woodland playpark

A group of parents and grandparents in Swalcliffe have been working for nearly three years on a project to create a Community Woodland Play Area in the heart of their village. Their vision is to create a safe and convenient play area in a woodland setting, where young children from the village as well as other local villages, schools and playgroups can play, explore and learn about nature.

It all started when local residents were consulted as part of a Village Planning survey about new amenities they would like to have in the village; a safe place for kids to play was the top choice. There is currently no public space in Swalcliffe for young children to play together safely away from the busy main road, building dens and playing hide and seek. Many of the cottages in local villages also have very small gardens. As a result, parents and grandparents of young children need to drive to playgrounds further afield

Sophie Thompson, a member of the Committee and mother of three children under seven, says: “As a parent of three active children, I know how important it is to have somewhere where they can let off steam and get away from their electronic devices. I usually end up driving them to another playground, so it will be fantastic to have a woodland play area on the doorstep where I know they will be safe. I think it will definitely attract more young families to move into the village too”.

Their vision has finally become a reality with a tranquil area in the heart of the village where people of all ages can meet and relax in the woodland surroundings. The Woodland Play park will officially open on the 30th March 2019.

Contact Procedures

If you need to report any concerns or would like more information please fill out a form by click here

Click to enlarge the leaflet for the play area.

In the woodlands you will find..

Click to enlarge

Sponsors

Major sponsors: Swalcliffe Park School (who donated the land), Cherwell District Council, National Lottery Community Fund, Banbury Charities, Swalcliffe Parish Council, Swalcliffe Parochial Church Council, Swalcliffe Village Fund, Tesco ‘Bags of Life’ Community Fund, Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment (with funding from Grundon Waste Management Ltd through the Landfill Communities Fund), Redrow Homes and Waitrose & Partners.

Reporting Procedures

The play area is inspected on a weekly basis and then a report produced. If you wish to see these please get in touch

Each year there is a fully certified inspection carried out the annual reports and the resulting actions can be viewed by clicking here

Below you find a gallery from the build of the Woodland Play Park.