Oxfordshire Play Association (OPA) deserves all manner of recognition after a super Play & Activity Day that they organised in Eynsham at the end of July. On the 28th of the month, many local families spent the day at the Oxford Road Playing Field (South) taking part in a whole range of free activities for all ages, from go karting and face painting to the Toddler Corner.
Eynsham Parish Council was pleased to have been able to support the OPA with a grant earlier this year, while Cllr Milly Chen attended the event and ran some free activities. Milly was also present to seek the opinions of local young people on which play equipment they would like to see being added to the Old Witney Road Play Area in Eynsham.
It was the first time Milly had attended such an event. She said: “it was so heart-warming to see such high level of engagement and to watch families having so much fun together.” It was also extremely valuable for the Parish Council as almost 100 young people took the time to vote on new play equipment. This will greatly aid our decision-making as we look to purchase and install new pieces.
Milly said “I would like to thank all the children who voted – your input is so important for us and your opinions will definitely impact what equipment we buy and install here in Eynsham. The park is for the children after all!” Anyone who didn’t attend or missed the opportunity to vote on new equipment will have another chance to do so when the Council holds a public consultation ahead of making any decisions.
County Cllr Dan Levy and District Cllr Carl Rylett also attended the Play & Activity Day to support Milly and all three had high praise for the well-organised and well-attended event. “It was a fantastic day of activities for our families and couldn’t have come at a better time, when parents and carers are trying to keep their children occupied during the holidays but facing fast-rising prices,” said Milly “Despite it being a bit of a hot and sweaty day, it was wonderful to be part of it and to see children having fun as well as having their voices heard in local decisions.”
You can read more about the OPA and their intentions in this article from March 2022. Keep an eye on the website for the opportunity to share your thoughts in our consultation on play equipment.