Madley Park playing fields launch cancelled due to Coronavirus

A ceremony to mark the official opening of a long-awaited refurbishment and extension of a popular play area have been out on hold due to the Coronavirus.

The Madley Park play area in Witney was recently completed after a residents and supporters’ campaign stretching back almost a decade.

The project has seen the introduction of a trampoline, zip wire and new swings and roundabouts for youngsters of all ages and has proved an immediate success with the community.

 The opening ceremony was due to have taken place on Saturday but after the Government ruled that play areas should be closed to mitigate the impact of the Cornavirus, it has now been postponed.

David Bates of the Madley Park Residents Association said: “It has been great to see so many of our children and young people enjoying the new facilities almost as soon as they’d been built.

“That enjoyment and celebration of must rightly be put on hold for now and we can but hope that it’s not too long before our children and young people will be able to enjoy using our play areas again. “

The project cost more than £130,000 with funding coming from a variety of sources including cash raised by the Residents’ Association and a £30,000 grant from West Oxfordshire District Council.

Cllr Michele Mead, Cabinet Member for Leisure at West Oxfordshire District Council, who was due to attend the event, added: “It is sad that the event celebrating what has been a remarkable fundraising effort by the community has had to be cancelled in such circumstances.

“Hopefully it won’t be too long before we see young people enjoying these fantastic facilities and I look forward to helping launch them properly then.”