Posted on Monday 8th November 2021
Families are enjoying a new children’s play area at Cannock Chase Country Park which was finished in recent weeks.
The new play area at Marquis Drive Visitor Centre was designed and built by KOMPAN Limited and includes swings, slides and a bespoke climbing unit featuring images of Cannock Chase wildlife.
The project was overseen by Staffordshire County Council and funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), with money also contributed from car parking fees at country parks.
Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture at Staffordshire County Council met up with some families using the play area.
Victoria said:
“It’s great that the new play area is up and running and wonderful to see so many families enjoying it.
“Our country park is part of a wider Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
"With 26 square miles of natural woodland and open heathland, it’s one of our most treasured locations and is enjoyed by many thousands of visitors every year.
"There’s already lots to do there, whether it’s the amazing scenic walks and trails, deer spotting or bird watching you’ll find something of interest.
“Our new play area and the improvements to the area around the Visitor Centre will make a real difference.
"I would encourage families to drop in and see for themselves.”
Paul Greenfield, Area Sales Manager at KOMPAN said:
“We worked closely with the council to fulfil their brief on time and to budget, and they were really happy with the finished play area we supplied.”
The play area is part of a wider ‘Staffordshire Countryside Explorer’ project, that has seen close to £450,000 of improvements to visitor facilities at Cannock Chase, Chasewater Country Park and Greenway Bank Country Park in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Improved information boards inside and outside Marquis Drive Visitor Centre have also been installed as part of the project.
This includes two at the start of a new ‘Chase2Water’ trail which is a seven-mile walking route along footpaths through Cannock Chase and beyond, ending at Chasewater Country Park.
Further details about Cannock Chase Country Park are available at bit.ly/2XngVEhCannockChaseCP.