Help support the charity that manages Stanwick Lakes
Adventure Playground Update
Climbing Tower Replacement for 2022 – an update
The generosity of the local community and businesses after the arson attack which destroyed our climbing tower has meant a great deal to us, and this support has enabled us both to increase security and improve the tower's overall design. For example, powerful, motion-activated lighting and better CCTV with remote monitoring have been installed in the central play area. The iconic bulrushes and pointed tower roofs which some may remember from the first, original piece of equipment will be incorporated into the replacement structure.
In addition, we were able to provide an interim play experience in the space over the summer with our 'Stanwick on Sea' installation. This included a beach mural, tons of extra sand, buckets and spades and deckchairs, plus the addition of a new slide, fireman's pole and small boat to the remaining play equipment once the burned section was removed. Families seemed to love being at the 'seaside'!
Despite some setbacks with timber supply we hope the contractor will be on site early next year.
Donate to Rockingham Forest Trust
Rockingham Forest Trust is an independent, environmental charity which receives only a small proportion of its income from local grants. The rest comes from trading through the social enterprise at Stanwick Lakes, and from fundraising campaigns. Donations are a vital source of funds.
How to Support the Charity
To donate to help us replace the play equipment and additional costs such as extra security and loss of income, you can donate in the following ways:
Directly to RFT
Please donate directly to us and use the reference 'playground'. Our details are:
Rockingham Forest Trust
Account number 31132375
Please post cheques, made payable to 'Rockingham Forest Trust', to Rockingham Forest Trust, Stanwick Lakes, Stanwick, Northamptonshire, NN9 6GY.
Alternatively, you can give donations/cheques to a member of staff in the Snack Shack.
Huge thanks from all at RFT for your donations and support.
Rockingham Forest Trust Statement:
Thank you for all of the kind words, support and donations we have received since a section of our play equipment was burnt. They mean a great deal to us.
Currently over £30,000 has been raised though public donations – much of which has come from other people setting up fundraising pages. We have been touch with all of them, expressed our gratitude and are organising transfer of the funds to Rockingham Forest Trust, the environmental charity that manages Stanwick Lakes.
Some people have asked, why are we fundraising? We do have insurance that means we can eventually replace the piece of playground equipment that has been burnt, but there are many other costs related to this incident. It is unlikely that we will be able to start the rebuild for several months, so we are investigating temporary play equipment that could go in its place over the summer. We already have some CCTV, but extra funding could help us boost its quality and add lighting and security monitoring.
Also, although we still have lots of great play equipment at Stanwick Lakes, losing one of our key pieces may affect how many visitors come to us in the coming weeks and this will go towards the gap in our income for the charity. We do not have a set target for our fundraising, but if we raise more than we need for costs related to this incident, then the money will go directly to looking after Stanwick Lakes for both people and wildlife. This includes maintaining the paths for our visitors and buying bird food for the popular bird feeding station.
We have had many offers of help to rebuild the play equipment and we are logging all of these and will be in touch once we have firmer plans.