The Friends of Green Grosvenor Park in Salford have won the final £3,000 of a £67,000 grant to revamp the local playground.
Accountant Lee Shannon, 42, started the Friends group with his neighbour Keri Muldoon four years ago to improve the community space in Lower Broughton.
Lee said: “With the cuts to the council over the last ten years you need people like us volunteers to really kind of chip in and try to help out because without us and funding externally, the council just doesn’t have enough money to do things like this.”
The duo give their free time to look after the park and keep the community engaged by running festivals, family fun days and competitions.
He said: “The people around here are brilliant anything you need they help with.”
Since this year public activities were cancelled, they focused on planning and gaining funds for a new playground.
Lee said: “We applied for a Veolia, a waste management company and we were successful.
“That goes about two-thirds of the way that we needed because the total project is about £67,000.”
And added: “We’ve just been trying to get the last bit funding and I got an email last Thursday to get the last 3k in.”
The plans will involve new equipment such as a climbing frame and a wheelchair friendly roundabout. There is aim to expand the age group that the play area is directed to.
Kevin Hurst, Veolia Chief Commercial said: “We have a real opportunity to make a huge impact in the communities where we are based, and to resident’s lives. I’m very pleased that our contribution over the last year has helped turn more than 100 key local projects into reality.”
Lee said: “We’ve only got two or three little things here and during dafter school. It’s absolutely packed.
“It was really a case of how important this park is. We needed to do something to improve it whenever we can do.”
The playground is planned to be fully refurbished by February 2021 ready for the Spring. If anyone is interested in helping the Friends of Green Grosvenor Park contact them on their Facebook page here.
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