Inkpen celebrates completion of £500,000 playground and pavilion project

WHAT an achievement!

A four-year village project raised just short of an astonishing half a million pounds to provide a brand new, state-of-the-art playground, sports and social pavilion and woodland play park in Inkpen.

And the results will be enjoyed for generations of villagers to come.

It was back in 2018 that the parish council decided to launch the ambitious venture.

For years, the facilities had been deteriorating.

And so, that September, every household in the village received a leaflet advising: "Your village needs you."

Residents rose to the challenge; meetings were held, committees were established and a charity was incorporated.

Fundraising ventures were launched and volunteers got to work restoring what could be salvaged.

Meanwhile local architect Peter Tompkins from Edge Architecture volunteered to do the design and drawings for the pavilion renovation.

Then, in January 2019, plans were approved by trustees; planning permission was granted and grants were successfully pursued from Sport England, The National Lottery and West Berkshire Council, with match funding by the Greenham Trust.

The new pavilion, storage building, cricket pitch, tennis, five-a-side football and netball courts were completed last May.

In total, the hugely ambitious project cost £493,909, including nearly £5,000 from a West Berkshire Council 'member's bid' arranged by James Cole (Con, Hungerford and Kintbury).

Mr Cole said: "This has been a magnificent achievement, especially for a village the size of Inkpen.

"The facilities are fantastic and will be enjoyed by local people for many years to come.

"I was delighted to have been asked to play a part."

Mr Cole was joined by fellow district councillor Dennis Benneyworth (Con, Hungerford and Kintbury) West Berkshire Council chairman Clive Hooker (Con, Downlands), parish councillors and trustees for an official opening party on Tuesday, April 12.