Families in Telford are being invited to a special picnic this weekend to celebrate the opening of a brand new park in Lightmoor Village.
Croppings Park will be the second park to open in the Village which is currently home to over 1,000 people and is managed by Bournville Village Trust.
The Park, which will be maintained by Bournville Village Trust, has been developed by Keepmoat and funded by the Homes and Communities Agency through its Public Land Initiative.
Designed especially to cater for children ranging from toddlers to teenagers, the 3.5 acre park features a multitude of swings, slides, climbing frames and springers.
For older children, there is a hard-surfaced ball court where they can play football, basketball and netball, and a new shelter for teenagers to get together with friends.
The park also features new trees, plants, bins and benches, and pathways linking it to a network of footpaths and open spaces, including an orchard where fruit trees are planted for each new baby born in the Village.
To celebrate the park’s official opening, Bournville Village Trust is inviting local families in the Village and surrounding areas to a picnic in the park on Sunday (13th September) from 12pm-2pm.
Becci Youlden, Head of Stewardship and New Communities at Bournville Village Trust, said: “We are really pleased to officially open up this fantastic facility to the Lightmoor community.
“It is already proving very popular with children and importantly it’s also providing outdoor facilities for older children which we haven’t had in the Village before.
“Going forward, we hope the park will support families to enjoy an active lifestyle, embrace the outdoors and spend time together as a community.”
Martyn Johnson, Land and Partnerships Manager for Keepmoat, said: “We are delighted with the results of this development and the park is something of an epicentre for the community, helping to bring families and communities closer together.”
Lightmoor Village is a major housing development which will create up to 1,000 homes as well as a host of community facilities once it is complete.
It is being developed through a joint venture between Bournville Village Trust and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).
Inspired by Bournville model village in Birmingham, which was developed by chocolate-maker George Cadbury, it currently features 500 homes, a primary school, nursery, retail units, medical centre, community centre and an extra-care housing scheme.