Comedian, actor and director Ben Miller returned to the Nantwich of his schooldays to open a state-of-the-art children’s playground on the outskirts of the town.
Ben, half of the Armstrong and Miller comedy duo, accepted an invitation from the Stapeley Parish Action Group to open phase 2 of the development, which was funded by Community Spaces.
The £100,000-plus Stapeley Children’s Play Area is on a landscaped corner site next the Pear Tree Primary School in Stapeley on the outskirts of Nantwich.
“We carried out a survey in the parish asking local people what they felt was most needed and the results showed that a recreational facility for the children was a top priority,” said Val Ingram, Chair of Stapeley Parish Action Group.
“It has taken some three years of very hard work by all concerned to bring it to fruition and we are delighted that Ben Miller agreed to come back to Nantwich and officially open this wonderful new facility for children of all ages throughout the area.”
The architect-designed playground incorporates see-saws and swings, an overhead zip wire and numerous novelty features as well as a bicycle park and bench seating alongside the pathways.
Phase one was opened in July 2011, funded by the Government’s Playbuilder scheme and Landfill Communities Funds of Waste Recycling Group Ltd, administered by WREN. The second and final phase, which has cost nearly £50,000, has been funded by Community Spaces, managed by Groundwork Cheshire and installed by County Landscape Development. Match funding was also provided by Stapeley & District Parish Council.
Despite a very cold, windy winter’s afternoon a large number of local families turned out to see the ribbon-cutting opening ceremony. Children were given commemorative wrist bands and modelled balloons and enjoyed designing their own tiles in the craft area. Pear Tree Primary School PTA members helped to run the refreshments stalls.
More pictures on the group’s Flickr feed
