Page 10 - Oundle Life September 2021

PARK
LIFE
Barnwell Country Park
It was an incredibly soggy start
to 2021. Barnwell Country Park
experienced two flood events
which saw almost the entire park
covered in water – up to three
feet deep in places! Thankfully the damage was relatively minor, however the wet conditions put our winter work programme on hold and caused a few issues for several projects.
The new Tots’ Play Area was completed in early March, following a two to three week delay while we waited for the flood waters to leave the Event Meadow.
The wooden sculptures from the old Tots’ Play Area have been saved and given a new lease of life by our wonderful volunteers.
The sculptures, resplendent with their new paintwork, have been relocated around the park. Look out for them on your next walk and see how many you can spot!
As the weather improved and the park began to green up, the rangers and volunteers have been busy installing new benches and picnic tables, doing a lot of fencing and topping up
the sand and wood chip in the play areas. Almost 40 tonnes of sand went into the sandpit,
with volunteers and rangers working in 30°C heat! As well as thanking our volunteers for their herculean efforts we would like to thank our visitors for their patience while we were working that day.
As we head into autumn and winter, we
will be planting 50 trees as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations. Barnwell Country Park opened in July 1971, and we have put some photos on display in the Visitor Centre showing how the park has changed over the years. Another celebration event was our hugely popular Fairy Door painting during the Summer Holidays. 50 fairy doors have been painted by our visitors and placed around the park. Have you seen any of them? Have you found them all?
There is always plenty to do in the park, with activities for both children and adults, many run by our Active Parks team. Visit our website at www.northamptonshireparks.co.uk and check our Events Page for all the latest information.
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