Swing it on! Longridge Play Area to get £70,000 Revamp

Ribble Valley Borough Council’s community services committee gave the go-ahead in May for the Kestor Lane Play Area to receive the revamp.

The refurbishment, funded by £40,000 from Ribble Valley Borough Council and £30,000 in Section 106 money from the Tootle Green development in Dilworth, will include the installation of a tranche of top new equipment and safety surfacing for children aged two to 12.

It will be undertaken by world-leading play area company Kompan, which specialises in equipment designed specifically to help children develop physically, socially and creatively.

The jaw-dropping range of new equipment will include three-bay swings, with different seats; a three-way seesaw, somersault bars, a cliff rider tower, a track rider multi-play unit, a ‘WeHopper’ and a ‘Flexus’.

The ‘WeHopper’ moves when children push with their feet and pull with their arms, which improves their coordination skills and muscle strength, while the more demanding ‘Flexus’ improves balance and hip and leg movement and has been dubbed the perfect primer for future space travellers!

Ricky Newmark, chairman of Ribble Valley Borough Council’s community services committee, said: “We are delighted to be refurbishing the Kestor Lane play area, which is the biggest and most popular in Longridge.

“Kompan is one of the leaders in the field of play area development and its equipment is designed with specialist insight into child development, as well as the input of children.

“Its equipment stands the test of attraction, retention and play value, and we are seriously looking forward to unveiling the new Kestor Lane play area in the autumn.”

Work on the new play area will start after the summer to minimise disruption during the school holidays.

In 2018, Ribble Valley Borough Council registered the Kestor Lane recreation ground, which includes the play area, along with a skate park and outdoor gym, as a Centenary Field, meaning it is protected in perpetuity in honour of the town’s First World War fallen.

As well as the play area revamp, Ribble Valley Borough Council has spent £3,500 on improving access to the site.

The council has also pledged £80,000 for drainage work at the Mardale football pitches in Longridge. A topographical survey is underway and the improvement works are scheduled to start in the summer.

And in partnership with the Lancashire Football Association the council is currently assessing its 14 playing pitches across the borough, with a view to drawing up a plan of improvement works to take place over several years.