Winstone Cuckoo Pen Community Hub and Playpark, Winstone Parish Council, Glos

This is a project to provide new play equipment, refurbish a basketball net and football goal, provide seating, bins and safe access at Winstone Cuckoo Pen Play Park near Cirencester.

Winstone residents formed the Cuckoo Pen Committee, which was adopted as a committee of the Parish Council, to raise money to renovate the Cuckoo Pen, a lovely green space in the heart of the village, to provide a safe place to play, and an outdoor space that is welcoming to all. The project will enable the community to come together, extending opportunities for health and wellness, mitigating isolation and loneliness, and providing a sense of pride of place. The April 2025 ROSPA Play Safety Report into the existing park flagged serious safety issues, highlighting that the existing equipment needed removing or renovating.

With no other open space in the village, no shop and limited public facilities, this will hugely increase the recreational experience for families, children, residents and visitors in Winstone and surrounding communities. This will be achieved by installing modern, durable and improved apparatus, suitable for a range of ages/abilities. The refurbishment of the basketball net and football goal is designed to appeal to/attract older children and adults. The project will provide safe access, seating and mobility activities for all ages, to ensure the Cuckoo Pen is useful and attractive to the whole community. This will foster an even stronger community, creating a focal point in the for all to gather, to play together and enjoy the open outdoor space, helping to tackle loneliness and isolation and to promote healthy lifestyles, fun and self-care. This blend of physical activities and social opportunities will promote mental and physical health equally.