£40,000 helping to revive a sports area in Great Coxwell

Work has started on a £40,000 major refurbishment to improve Great Coxwell’s multi-use games area (MUGA).

The Vale of White Horse District Council awarded the funds to Great Coxwell Parish Council using money collected from developers as part of their agreement to build new homes nearby. 

The money is paying for the old rotten wooden surround to be replaced with a robust metal barrier and two new basketball nets. The court surface will also be cleaned and remarked for various games, including football, basketball and tennis.

Cllr Judy Roberts, Cabinet Member for Development and Infrastructure at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “We’re delighted that the funds have been given to refurbish the area. Ever since it was developed in 2004 by a local community group, it’s proved very popular and has been well used over the years. While the money is helping refresh the whole area, it’ll also help encourage residents to be more active.”

Cllr Jacqui Russell, Chair of the parish council, said: “Great Coxwell Parish Council is pleased and excited to be able to carry out much needed refurbishment of the MUGA in the parish park using S106 funding from the Vale of the White Horse. The present basketball court was installed 18 years ago with a Doorstep Green grant and a huge fundraising effort of a group of Parishioners, but the basketball hoops and surround have been in desperate need of repair and were becoming unsafe. The S106 funding from the Fern Hill/Steeds development will enable us to carry a full refurbishment of the surround to a standard that should keep it open for community use for many years to come.”

The parish council has received £36,386 to get their renovation project started and remaining amount of £4,042.37 will be provided when the work is completed next month.