Help us replace playground equipment

*****************UPDATE************************

Officers at Leeds City Council Parks and Countryside services have confirmed that the playground equipment can be repaired/ replaced via the insurance scheme. We are very thankful for this.

The money raised through this Crowd Funder will ensure we are able to replace the broken and snapped trees and repair the landscaping. Any change from this will be put in a pot for future repairs.

We thank everyone for their generosity and support. It has made a horrible situation feel a little bit better.

Our community will not give up!

We deserve decent things.

Let's keep on sticking together

******************************************

Hi, my name is Cat from Friends of Armley and Gott's Park; we’re raising funds to replace the playground equipment that was recently burnt to the ground.

As a group, we have spent years campaigning for a new playground for Armley. The old one was not fit for purpose, and we believed the kids of Armley deserved better. In March this year, our dream came true, and phase 1 of the new playground was officially opened. It isn’t a bog standard playground; we dared to dream big and think outside the box. It boasts a zip wire, swings, roundabout, climbing boulders, slide, wheelchair-accessible equipment and is on different levels to add interest. Here's a video of our launch:

On Friday night, the park was targeted by arsonists. The climbing boulders were burnt to the ground, a swing and mini roundabout burnt, and a tree snapped (not the first tree to be broken). Not only has the equipment gone or been ruined the fire has damaged the specialist flooring. This was not a small fire but a deliberate arson attack.

Unfortunately, this kind of play equipment is unlikely to be insured, or the excess will be too significant; therefore, we have decided to fundraise to ensure Armley's kids do not go without for too long. It is estimated the equipment and flooring will cost approximately £30, 000 to replace. If we are lucky enough to generate excess funds, these will go towards maintaining the playground.

As we have done in the past, we will liaise and work with the police and community leaders to see what can be done to stop this problem from reoccurring.

Armley Park is a much loved and needed green space for Armley residents; the park is our garden, and we will fight for its upkeep. Thanks for taking the time to read this.