Everyone is invited to attend the official opening
IT MAY take a village to raise a child, but it takes a whole lot more than that to make a playground! Just ask the community of South West Rocks, members of whom banded together with Kempsey Shire Council to make the new Horseshoe Bay Reserve Playground a reality.
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A huge list of local ogranisations, businesses and individuals have donated goods, services and money towards fundraising efforts, while tradesmen, Nestle workers, local school children and community members have volunteered hundreds of hours of free labour.
This Friday afternoon, Kempsey mayor Liz Campbell will pay homage to all those involved during the official opening of the fantastic new playground, which features equipment for children of all ages and abilities.
New to Stage 2 are the 6m spider climber purchased by community fundraising, and a new toddler's piece similar to the original fort-like structure of the old park which had become unsafe and required removal.
Thanks to successful grants acquired by the South West Rocks Sport and Recreation Association, the new playground also features an all-inclusive orbiter thanks to FundAbility.
This program, funded by the Northcott Society, aims to increase awareness and inclusion of people with disabilities, with the new wheelchair friendly roundabout allowing children of all abilities to play together.
As the recipients of the Nestle Community Grant Program, the community was also able to add a triple-bay swing-set with a joey seat attachment (for parent and bub), monkey bars, a mud kitchen, extra plants and landscaping.
Nestle employees were also given the opportunity to volunteer during stage 1 and stage 2 of the playground, with the progressive employer giving their staff paid time off to provide voluntary labour to help level the ground, move and spread soft-fall and help create and fill garden beds.
South West Rocks Primary School children also played their part, with every child assisting in the planting of hundreds of new plants to beautify the area and help with enclosing the playground.
Everyone is invited to attend the official opening of Stage 2 of the Horseshoe Bay Reserve Playground this Friday afternoon, September 22, at 3.30. The SWR Lions Club will run a fundraising barbecue at the opening, and, all the new equipment will be there to try.