A PLAYGROUND in the heart of the York has won a prize fund to help build new facilities.

Acomb's West Bank Park playground has secured a £25,000 community fund to refurbish the play area and improve current facilities.

The grant was awarded by the Aviva Community Fund, a scheme which issues grants to charitable causes in York, and will help facilitate the addition of several modern pieces of play equipment including a basket swing, zipwire and an accessible piece of equipment such as a swing or roundabout. These were the priorities determined in the community consultation group, the Friends Committee who applied for the grant 2017, which received over 400 responses.

The changes are in addition to improvements that have been funded by York City Council – a train slide and climbing frame for under 5s and a larger wooden play fort with a range of integrated play equipment for those aged 5 and above.

These improvements, as well as the additions planned with the Aviva fund are crucial to the park, which is used by thousands living in the wards of Acomb, Holgate, Westfield and Dringhouses and Woodthorpe.

Friends of West Bank Park will also liaise with local schools – specifically special needs and disability school and Hob Moor Oaks in finalising the plans for the exact equipment and changes to make, given that local school children and their parents use the space so regularly.

Catherine Heinemeyer, Chair of West Bank Park Friends Committee, who submitted the original application said:“We’re all over the moon. A few years back this park was a sad sight, especially given how many families rely on it. It’s now looking great and this fund will allow us to realise all the plans we’d hoped for.

“A massive thanks goes to Aviva for having faith in our plans but most of all to the thousands of York residents who went online and voted for our project – we couldn’t have done it without all this amazing support!”