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Thursday 29 March 2012

Playground finds a good samaritan


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Some recent stories about the poor play park surface has resulted in an amazing reaction by a very generous Milford on Sea resident.

The condition of the play surface in the Children’s Play Area on Milford on Sea seafront was raised by a concerned local resident, and holiday business owner, in the middle of this month. Her concerns mainly focused on the large holes, which are water filled and become very muddy.

Quite rightly, she point out that; "the current state of the playground is unacceptable. She also made an extremely relevant point that; ‘the play area is of great benefit &a pleasure not just local families, but also visitors to the area, who generate much needed revenue for village businesses and the council."

It was also clear that with the holiday season fast approaching, and the many ‘Milford on Sea events' drawing visitors from far & wide, the current playground is certainly not creating a great impression on anyone.

In response to this story, a anonymous member of the community came forward and offered to pay the full £21,985 to cover the cost of the works. You can imagine how astounded I was that someone could show such generosity.

Up until now, the Parish Council had been trying to find the funds to complete the Play Park resurfacing and they had applied for a grant from the Veolia Environmental Trust.  However, the grants are selected from many community applications, so nothing was guaranteed, also there was no timescale on when a decision would be made. Our anonymous donor took the view that they would like the work completed as soon as possible, and in with withdrawing the current grant application they were happy in the knowledge that children in a community elsewhere would benefit from the grant.

In Milford on Sea so many people find way to contribute to our community, many cannot show the level of financial generosity of our anonymous donor, however by volunteering their time and effort all makes Milford on Sea the very special place that it is.

The Survey Date for the play park resurfacing is planned to take place at 11am on Tuesday 3rd April 2012, and then all being well, the Start Date for the work will take place from Monday 16th April 2012, all thanks to a kind soul in the village.  The donation is going to make so many children and parents happy, and it certainly made my day.  So, on behalf of everyone, I say thank you for your kindness.


12 comments:

  1. Is this an early April Fool? Amazing news!

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  2. What generosity. A big thank you from a happy grandparent! How lucky we are to have such wonderful people in Milford.

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  3. Dear very generous Milford on Sea resident

    Thank you so much for your exceptional gift to Milford on Sea.

    This is the kind of deed that should be rewarded with a community award, but I think since this is an anonymous donation, your reward will be when you pass the play park and see the many happy children who are enjoying the facilities due to your generosity.

    With very many thanks indeed.

    Mark Jardine

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  4. Nope, no April Fool. Just really fabulous news and great generosity!

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  5. Excellent News. Was the good sole from the fish restaurant?

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  6. Ah ha, boom, boom! I get it, 'good sole, fish restaurant' Funny one for so early in the day Neville!

    You are wrong though, our anonymous donor is just a local kind soul who wanted to do something for the kids.

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  7. In that case, I hope the anonymous donor takes pleasure from knowing that their generous gift will be very much appreciated! I hope the Parish Council act swiftly.

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  8. Excellent news!
    Thank you to the kind benefactor, whose generosity will be enjoyed by so many for years to come.
    Do any other Milford residents feel like I do, that the playground was originally sited in the wrong location?
    On a cold, windy day (of which there are many here on the seafront) the poor children and their families are buffeted by the prevailing south-westerly winds.
    Surely the appropriate location would be to re-site the wonderful new playground on the grass area to the other side of the cafe. That would provide considerable shelter for the children and their families. That particular grass area is not actually used for anything anyway.
    Then the present playground area could be home to a 'boules' court - a facility which featured in the press and which was favoured by the council and residents some years ago - but which has never materialised.

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  9. Jan Rook, Seahorses Playgroup30 March 2012 at 12:12

    That's wonderful news, thanks so much to the very kind resident - perhaps they would like to choose a name for the revamped playgroup? Thanks on behalf of all the members of Seahorses Community Baby & Toddler Group

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    1. I am confused-are you in charge of a toddler group or a play group? Are you in charge of the one that ofsted rated outstanding recently???? Only we are looking to move down with my baby for a life by the sea but I'm confused already!

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  10. I would also like to add my thanks to the anonymous donor. It is this kind of generosity together with all the hard work done by volunteers that make Milford such a wonderful place to live. We are very fortunate.

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  11. Think that is a great idea but the equipment would have moved and presumably planning needed so that this could cost more than the donation and would take more time. I have just been looking at the back page of The Telegraph Weekend supplement and there is a picture of a seaside garden at the Crab House Cafe, Dorset. Maybe this wasted area of grass next to the car park could be converted to this type of garden (I am sure that we could spare a few pebbles from the seafront!)-perhaps a local landscaper might do it and then in return for services, they would be allowed to have a board advertising their company. Young and old would appreciate it.

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