A group of local parents, concerned with the outdated play and recreation facilities at Dilton Marsh Playing Field, have come together to launch a new community group, ‘Recreation And Play In Dilton.’
The group known as RAPID, hope to update the existing play park facilities as they believe they are out of date and not exciting enough for children.
The group has been inspired by similar projects undertaken in many neighbouring villages. Group member Becky Ferdinand said, “Dilton Marsh Playing Field is a real asset to the village; it would be great to see this used to its full potential. We feel that the land is currently underutilised and that the play park is in desperate need of an upgrade.
“There are a number of local villages who have successfully improved play facilities and developed their range of recreational amenities. We hope to echo this and provide a well-used, valuable resource that Dilton Marsh can be proud of.
“The parish council has been keen to look at the play facilities on the field for some time. It has been very supportive of our ambition to undertake this project and has made financial contributions towards surveys and the community consultation.
“We look forward to working closely with the parish council to bring this project to fruition. We have also enlisted the support of our local councillor, Jerry Wickham, as well as Wiltshire Council’s community engagement officer, Liam Cripps. We are also seeking guidance from Community First, regarding the most effective way to fundraise and secure the grants we need.
“Everyone we have approached has been really positive about what we are trying to achieve and has been able to offer some incredibly valuable advice.”
In March, the group launch a community consultation period. Becky explains, “This is a vital stage for the project. We want to ensure that any future funding we secure is allocated to areas that the wider community feel are a priority.
“We are here to represent the residents of Dilton Marsh and everyone must be given the opportunity to say how they would like the project to progress.
“We will be distributing questionnaires village-wide, as well as accessing many local interest and community groups.
“We will also be holding a ‘Community Consultation Morning’ in the Dilton Memorial Hall on Saturday 19th March, from 10am to 12pm. There will be fun activities for the family to get involved in, refreshments and access to further information on the project.
Residents will be able to come along and talk to us about their opinions and ideas for the project; we want everyone to have their say.”
If you would like to get involved with the project, contact the group via email at
rapid-dilton@outlook.com Residents are also invited to join the Recreation And Play In Dilton Facebook page for more information and updates on the project.
