WHILE I applaud the fundraising efforts of the Friends of Endcliffe Park and their innovative ideas for creating a playground for all, I cannot for the life of me understand the logic of commencing these renovations at the beginning of the school summer holidays.
Many of them parents themselves, how did the Friends agree to sanction this absurd decision?
This will be the second summer that the park has been without the playground for the school holidays – last year it was closed as a result of damage to the safety surface following the flooding of the River Porter. The year before that, the playing field was excavated for months to install the new drainage system.
The park is a free day out for many families who make a whole day of it with picnics, barbecues and organised games and particularly during the current economic climate, a godsend for many parents unable to afford the many other expensive activities on offer such as theme parks and zoos. Even a day at the seaside is prohibited by the cost of fuel just to get there, let alone an ice cream at upwards of £1.50 each.
The playground is always a favourite feature for my two-year-old granddaughter who soon gets bored just running around or playing with a ball on the grass. Even the ducks get so 'fed up' they shun our offerings unless we are early and get there before the other bread flingers.
I realise that once the work is complete in October, the playground will be fantastic but why couldn't this work have been started in March or even March next year and then it would have been ready for the summer.
Martine Welsh (Mrs), Tavistock Road, Sheffield 7READ MOREMain news indexYour letters.
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