This means children will finally be able to enjoy a fully-equipped play area once again, more than three years after the original equipment was removed.
 
Contractors are due to start on site on Wednesday 22 July, with completion anticipated by Monday 17 August. The play area will be closed to the public for the duration of the works.
 
Local residents may experience minor disruption from works/site traffic, etc., and the play area committee would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience.
 
A leaflet will be distributed later this week to residents in School Road/Swan Close with a contact number to report any issues.
 
Following a safety inspection in June 2017, wooden climbing structures and two sets of swings were condemned, having reached the end of their usable life.
 
Since then, a committee of seven volunteers have worked tirelessly to resolve legal ownership of the site, as well as identify and apply for funding to redevelop the area.
 
Swannington Play Area (SPA), a not-for-profit limited company set up specifically for the project, was able to secure a £58,000 grant from Biffa Award, a multi-million-pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to communities and environmental projects across the UK.
 
Together with smaller donations from two local charities, the grant will fund a redevelopment project, including new equipment identified by a survey of local residents, such as a zip wire, swings for different age groups and a new slide.
 
SPA director Laura Marfell-Williams said: “Outdoor play is so important for children, and in a tiny village like Swannington the play area is even more valuable as it gives families a place to meet up.
 
“The redevelopment funded by Biffa Award will have a really positive impact on families from our village and the wider community.”
 
Rachel Maidment, Biffa Award grants manager, said: “At times like this it is more important than ever that we continue to support projects that build communities, like this new play area for the children of Swannington and surrounding villages.”
 
The play area committee plans to hold an opening celebration later in the year, subject to social distancing regulations in force at the time.