An overview - 2016 to 2017!
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The Park, Kilnwick" is a charitable community project set up to transform 6½ acres of fallow agricultural land into a stunning recreational asset for all ages within this rural community, enhancing their health and well being. Facilities include an inclusive children’s playground with wheelchair access, a wildflower meadow, seating, a picnic area, a community orchard, a wetland area and over an acre of newly planted native trees, all surrounding a central 3 acre oval grass playing field. 

​The Park was formally opened on 2nd September 2017 and is rapidly becoming a haven for wildlife, an educational resource and a permanent focal point for community celebration and fundraising events.  A new youth club, “The Kilnwick Parklings” is providing structured youth activities fortnightly since April 2017 to encourage local young people to develop confidence, skills and abilities.  All local primary schools (700 children) have stated that they will use The Park regularly as an outdoor classroom.
 
The Park was originally inspired by the total lack of any public green spaces in Kilnwick (population 250, including 65 children) and the surrounding villages (a further 2500 residents).  The project got off the ground in 2016 with the land purchase by local residents, community consultation, charity creation, planning permission and initial ground drainage works.  The last ten months have seen a huge community volunteer operation swing into action: our first tree planting day in November 2016 attracted no less than 70 volunteers!  Ploughing, levelling, seeding, rolling and grass cutting have all been undertaken by the local farming community, supported by volunteers stone picking, watering and weeding.   Local builders and joiners took the lead with installing the playground equipment, again supported by a rapidly growing army of dedicated volunteers. 
 
Our Grand Opening event saw three days of celebrations including an extensive fete (which attracted an estimated 2000 people), barn dance and music festival.  The local press got behind the project, publishing many articles as The Park took shape and the local BBC radio broadcast an interview.  The incredible support received from local businesses big and small with free and discounted goods and materials, funding from charities, grants from the local authority and above all, support and donations from so many individuals, has not only made this project possible, it has been completed in a relatively short timescale. 
 
The whole project has cost about £120,000 and this has been fully funded.  The Park is now owned and run by a democratic charity with trustees elected by the members.  Whilst this arrangement helps to ensure that The Park will endure and flourish, the legacy extends well beyond the permanent physical features: friendships have been forged across the community and children have learnt new skills which will last a lifetime.
 
In an age when we hear so many stories about the loss of communal facilities, this community has shown how rural Yorkshire can buck this trend with so many heart warming acts of kindness, generosity and co-operation.  

The preliminary layout of the main area of The Park (there is also an access strip of grass to the South of this map owned by The Park)

The Park - barren agricultural land, as purchased in April 2016

Planning Permission was gained in September 2016. Land Drainage, funded by Tesco "Bags of Help" took place in November 2016.

Our amazing volunteers de-stoned the land, planted trees and have assisted with all elements of The Park creation

Tree planting in March 2017

Grass seed being sown in April 2017

From fallow agricultural land ​to a  6.5 acre
recreational and educational
space took enormous amounts of planning, organisational advice and generous support from funders. Most of all it took an incredible community's efforts that united to create an asset for all.
An amazing project.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this project.

The Park creation not be possible without the determination and hard work from Charity Membership, and the overwhelming community support, all provided on an voluntary basis. The volunteers continue to develop and maintain The Park.

We've also received an immense amount of help from many organisations.
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We would particularly like to thank :

• East Riding Voluntary Action Services
• Humber & Wolds Rural Community Council
• East Riding of Yorkshire Council - for their ongoing advice and support from the Play and Community Engagement Department, Grounds and Forestry Division and External Funding & Policies Department.
• Action for Communities in Rural England 
• Beswick Parish Council
• Humber Playing Fields Association
• Land Drainage Consultancy Limited

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​In relation to the biodiversity enhancement at The Park, we would particularly like to thank:

• The Woodland Trust
• Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
• East Yorkshire Rivers Authority

All have provided us with invaluable support and guidance. The Woodland Trust have also provided us with 840 Native Tree saplings to date which form much of our woodland planting at The Park.

With thanks to Funders of The Park in 2016/2017, to whom we are extremely grateful: 

• Tesco - Bags of Help - who have supported us twice, once for land drainage and once for play equipment.
• The Co-Op Community Fund - who have supported us for play equipment.
• Calor Rural Community Fund - who have supported us for play equipment.
• East Riding of Yorkshire Council's "Active Creative" Fund - which has twice supported us for play equipment.
• JC and ES Rymer Trust - who supported the overall project.
• Garfield Weston Foundation - who supported the overall project.
• YorHub - 4GoodFund - who supported the play equipment.
• East Riding of Yorkshire's "Positive Activities Grant" - which supported the structured Youth Activities at The Park.
• Local Postcode Lottery - who supported wildlife enhancement at The Park
• British Petroleum - who supported the overall project.
• City Health Care Partnership - who supported the play equipment.
• The Sir James Reckitt Charity - who supported the play equipment.
• The Horace Taylor Trust ​- who supported equipment.

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Thank you also to all those in the community who supported us through donations, by "adopting a tree" and to the three Kilnwick families who initially purchased the 6.5 acre parcel of land and donated it in perpetuity to "The Park, Kilnwick" charity.

Supporters of The Park, Kilnwick Project

​The kindness of local skilled tradesmen from Kilnwick and the support of local businesses kept the costs of The Park, Kilnwick project to a minimum and ensured that the funding we received stretched as far as possible.
Firstly we would like to thank the 5 skilled tradesmen that volunteered to install the play equipment, with their manpower and equipment on a purely voluntary basis. Their kindness was incredible, and the standard to which the equipment was installed absolutely exceptional (the external Play inspector said it was one of the best installations he had seen in 30 years of inspecting playgrounds). We are indebted to:

• Johnny Hoggard of E Hoggard & sons
• Richard Ling of DG Ashley Ltd
• Martin Mason of Martin Mason Homes
• Craig Norris of CN Jointer Ltd
• Wayne Smith - Local Farmer (who also provided a huge amount of agricultural support, ploughing, spraying and preparing the land).

They were ably assisted by huge numbers of Kilnwick volunteers alongside their family and friends.

We have also had huge support from local businesses including:
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• Kings Crops / Frontier Agricultural - who donated our grass seed
• J.A.Cox - who hauled the concrete pipe free of charge
• CPM, Pollington - who donated the concrete tunnel that became our "play tunnel"
• Henley's Nurseries - Market Weighton, who supplied our orchard trees and stakes
• Thorpe Trees - York, who supplied our specimen trees
• Mortimors - Driffield, who donated wildlife seed
• Jewsons - Driffield, who loaned us a mini-digger free of charge to allow us to create the play area
• Travis Perkins - Beverley, who donated concrete and timber
• Arnold Lavers - Hull, who donated timber
• CJ Wildlife - who donated many bird and bat boxes and inesect hotels
• Westland Horticulture (also trading as Peckish Bird Food) - Driffield - who donated a bird feeding station, assisted with creation of insect hotels and who continue to support the project, including refilling the bird feeding station ongoing and using the site as  "trials site."
• Ashcourt - discounted top soil and stone aggregate
• John - "The Man from Skidby" - who donated our incredible wooden Owl sculpture
• Addplant - who provided events toilets free of charge for our Grand Opening  weekend

A brief photographic tour of The Park creation - quite incredible!

2016 - land acquired, planning permission gained and land drainage installed. First batch of Woodland Trust Saplings planted.

Spring 2017 - Land destoned, more trees planted and land ploughed and seeded.

April 2017 - grass begins to grow, youth activities begin and "The Park" begins to come to life.

May 2017 - Parklings events continue, the grass begins to establish and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust provide a workshop at The Park advising us on maximising wildlife opportunities with the many donated bird and bat boxes.

June 2017 & July 2017 - Parklings events include landscape painting, insect hotel creation and gabion seat production. The Park establishes and play equipment installation commences.

August 2017 - Parklings continue their artistic creativity and the play equipment installation is complete and fabulous!

Project Timeline

​ Spring / Summer of 2016 - land purchased, planning permission gained, Charitable status established.
Autumn 2016 - Initial native tree planting, land drainage installation, grant applications ongoing.
Winter 2016 - Spring 2017 - Furthernative tree planting, habitat creation, grass seeding carried out
Summer 2017 - Natural play elements and playground equipment installed, wetland feature created
​September 2nd 2017 - Public Opening of The Park, Kilnwick
Ongoing - development, maintenance and most of all enjoyment of an amazing community asset. 

​How will we ensure The Park meetings the needs of the Community?​

We will monitor and demonstrate the impact of our project with:

• Regular membership meetings to consult with users of all ages - this includes youth members.
• Regular meetings with group users of "The Park" - such as Kilnwick Village Hall Youth Clubs / Kilnwick Exercise Class / Kilnwick Countrywomen's Association / Schools and Playgroups
• We will conduct an Annual Questionnaires with the community to ensure we continue to best meet the needs of our users
• We will collect baseline data on exercise / wellbeing to annual data, and compare this ongoing questionnaire data to ensure that the facility is best addressing the health & exercise needs of all ages of the community.
• We will collect baseline wildlife / biodiversity data, and compare this to ongoing wildlife / biodiversity data to ensure we are maximising our wildlife opportunities (with help from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust).

Following the collection of the above data, an Annual Report will be produced and disseminated to residents, users, schools, playgroups, community groups and clubs and funders.  The Annual Report will include an evaluation of impact and a work plan to ensure continual development and sustainability.