Anyone who keeps an eye on local social media will know that parents have been asking about the play equipment behind the Dragonfly Leisure Centre in Midsomer Norton. Due to safety issues, the wooden structure has been decommissioned and grant applications are being written to replace it.

A spokesperson for Dragonfly Leisure said: “The play equipment outside the leisure centre is approaching fifteen years old. Despite our best efforts and considerable cost in maintaining and repairing it, most of the wooden equipment is beyond repair.

“Regrettably, following the last RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) inspection, we’ve had to decommission the large play tower and zip wire as the supporting structures are now rotten and unsafe.

“We are committed to providing an exciting play park at Gullock Tyning; however, initial quotes suggest we need £100,000 – £150,000.

“As a not-for-profit charitable Trust, 100% of any surpluses made are reinvested in our facilities. Since 2015, we’ve invested over £25,000 in maintaining the play area and skate park. We have committed a further £25,000 towards the refurbishment of the play park in 2022 with a budget of £5,000 per annum thereafter for repairs and maintenance.

“We are currently writing an application to secure the remaining balance of £100,000 – £125,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund as we don’t have the resources to fund this ourselves. We hope to submit our application in March 2022 and, if successful, start work in early September 2022.

“We’re keen to engage with any local businesses who would like to support us in increasing our £25,000 contribution as this will help our application. We will be setting up a new funding campaign on our JustGiving page soon.

“We will be completing market research in January 2022 to determine the type and range of equipment local children and their families would like access to. Please keep an eye out for emails or surveys relating to this to have your input. We will post further updates regarding the progress of our application, including any survey results at: https://www.dragonflyleisure.co.uk/adventure-play-park-at-

midsomer-norton/”