Open to people of all ages, the new play and sports area was funded by B&NES and National Lottery with a contribution from West Clewes Recreational Trust.

Planning permission was granted in November 2021 following a grant for two free bike stands for the area and Wicksteed started work on MUGA in May.

Officially opening the area to the public, Midsomer Norton Mayor, Lynda Robertson, told The Journal: “The sports and play area is just amazing. This has been in planning for quite some time so it is great to see it open and being used. The opportunities it gives to people are brilliant.

“You always see people here and I am absolutely chuffed to be here to officially open it.”

Midsomer Norton Mayor, Lynda Robertson.
(Lucy Slade)

Now finished and open to the public, the multi use area features an array of sports and choice of activities, including; penalty shootout, wicket cricket, hot shot target wall, tennis, basketball and five-a-side football.

Midsomer Norton Town Clerk, Donna Ford, who has been at the forefront of the project, said: “The MUGA at West Clewes is a great asset for the town, providing further sporting facilities for the younger generation.

“We hope that it will encourage people to explore different sports that they may not otherwise consider and to keep active and increase fitness levels.

“This in turn promotes the mental health benefits that being outside and exercising brings. It is a free facility for all the community to use.”

Representatives from Youth Connect South West were amongst the group of people in attendance. Flynn Hodgkinson-Gray, volunteer at the organisation, said: “Young people are our future and we need to do more to help them. The Multi Use Games Area will be a great asset to Midsomer Norton and somewhere they can come to escape and have fun.”

Joining the young people playing basketball, North East Somerset’s team leader for Youth Connect South West, Carrie Ford, explained the importance of the new installation play zones for young people in our area: “We run sessions in and around Midsomer Norton, one of them being our detached sessions on a Monday evening so this is going to be a great resource for us to do detached work with young people in the area.

“It’s a new place to hang out with a brand new sports equipment area which means they can come here to play football and basketball, we can bring kit up and play tennis and badmington and it just gives the other end of Midsomer Norton more opportunities for young people to get involved.”

To learn more about Midsomer Norton Town Council, and their plans for the future, visit: https://www.midsomernortontowncouncil.co.uk/category/projects/