Save Andy's Adventure Playground
Donation protected
SAVE ANDY’S ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND
This smart & handsome young Air Cadet is Andrew Maycock. Sadly Andrew passed away on 4 February 2000 at the age of 16, after he was involved in a car accident . However, his passing was not in vain, as he left a wonderful legacy for future generations.
Andy’s Mum, Sue, goes on to explain:
“When Andrew was a young child, as a family we would often take walks up to Bestwood Country Park. He always enjoyed it so much, but especially loved the playground and always begged for ‘another five minutes’ to play. Even as a teenager he would spend countless hours up there with his friends on their bikes and as a member of the Air Cadets
playing pranks on the younger cadets. He also did work with the Park Rangers as a part of his Duke of Edinburgh award. It was one of his favourite places to be and we have so many fond memories of time shared with him in the Park.
Soon after Andrew’s passing, I ventured out for a wander around the park, only to find that the playground was being taken down and was so upset to hear that it wasn’t being replaced due to insufficient funding. I thought of the hours Andrew had spent on the park, and knew he would not have spent as much time in the lodge without the promise of some time to play on the playground as well. Consequently, I came across the idea of replacing the playground in Andrew’s memory so that future generations of children could enjoy creating similar memories. It also served as an outlet for my family and myself allowing us to focus our grief and anger towards something positive.
Together with my family, friends and the immense support received from the local community we eventually managed to raise the funds to replace the equipment. We held countless fundraising nights, arranged activities such as sponsored walks and runs, tree planting and even a sponsored head shave! The amount of help and support we received was overwhelming. Even to this day, I often speak to members of the community who took part in fundraising activities, who are now taking their grandchildren up to the park and explaining to them about who Andrew was and how we all helped to build the playground together.
For me the playground has always been a safe haven. A happy place to go when I want to remember Andrew and all of the lovely times we spent together as a family. It is so heart-warming seeing all of the children playing and laughing and creating memories with their own families and to know that we played such a huge part in making that possible. The idea, that all of this might simply be taken away is devastating and I cannot imagine Bestwood Country Park, without Andy’s adventure playground.”
Unfortunately the much-loved and widely used playground is wearing out and a lot of the equipment has had to be removed for health and safety reasons. If funds cannot be found this fabulous free resource, so well-loved by families, will be lost forever.
Both the Friends of Bestwood Country Park (FOB) and the Maycock family want to do everything within their gift to stop this happening.
Andy’s Sister, Leanne, writes:
“On 4 February 2000, we sadly lost my brother Andrew in a tragic road accident at the age of 16. As you can imagine, this was the most heart-breaking thing that I and my family had ever been faced with and it was extremely difficult to come to terms with. Soon after his passing, we found out that the Adventure Playground at Bestwood Country Park, one of Andrew’s very favourite places in the world, was being demolished. My Mum decided it would be a good idea to raise funds to reopen it in Andrew’s memory, both for the community, but also to give us something positive to focus on.
Over the following eighteen months, together with family, friends and the immense support received from the local community, we held countless fundraising nights and took part in several activities such as a sponsored 10-mile walk, runs, tree planting and even a sponsored head shave – eventually raising a grand total of £22,000 and replace the playground. The amount of help and support we received was overwhelming. Even to this day, we often speak to members of the community who took part in fundraising activities, who are now taking their own children and grandchildren up to the playground and explaining to them about who Andrew was and how we all helped to build the playground together.
However, recently certain aspects of the playground have been deemed unsafe, and the play equipment in itself needs replacing, meaning that we face the possibility of losing the playground completely. For me it has always been a safe haven. A happy place to go when I want to remember Andrew and all of the lovely times we spent together as a family. It is so heart-warming seeing all of the children playing and laughing and creating memories with their own families, and to know that we played such a huge part in making that possible. The idea that all this might simply be taken away is devastating and I cannot imagine Bestwood Country Park without Andy’s Adventure Playground. Therefore this petition will hopefully raise some awareness of this issue to prove that the local community care about this playground and the history behind it!”
This gofundme project has been set up by FOB with help from Sue and Leanne.
The initial fundraising back in 2000 as described by them took place before FOB was formed. Although many of our members already enjoyed the playground, we didn’t get going as a group until late 2007. When FOB heard of the current problem with unsafe equipment on Andy’s Adventure Playground we were determined to help whatever way we can to get funds to replace it. We, like Sue and Leanne, could not imagine our Park without it! The Park is big (690 acres) and the playground is set centrally in it, on the edge of woodland, with benches set around for family parties and a lovely view over hills and valleys to the north. It provides a safe destination and space for generations of little ones with their families to play in beautiful and relaxing surroundings.
The estimate for replacing the playground is around £50,000. As a group we have put in a bid to Nottinghamshire County Council’s Local Improvement Scheme for up to 50% of the total. However, we don’t know yet if this has been successful. In the meantime we have pledged some of our existing funds and are currently donating all the net proceeds from our regular Community Cafe – held every Saturday morning in the Dynamo House at Bestwood Country Park (10 am – 1 pm, NG6 8ZA) where customers can also make a cash donation if they wish, and see progress on our specially designed ‘playground-o-meter’.
But we are still a long way from our goal and we need all the public support we can get. Please donate whatever you can to this worthwhile cause so that future generation can continue to have access to this fabulous, free, outdoor resource in beautiful surroundings. .
Help us to ensure Andrew’s memory can live on through the children’s laughter and enjoyment
If you wish to find out more please have a look at the following links:
Petition:
https://www.change.org/p/sue-mcdonald-save-andy-s-adventure-playground-at-bestwood-country-park
FOB:
www.fbcp.org.uk
FOB ON FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Bestwood-Country-Park-495018247579357/
This smart & handsome young Air Cadet is Andrew Maycock. Sadly Andrew passed away on 4 February 2000 at the age of 16, after he was involved in a car accident . However, his passing was not in vain, as he left a wonderful legacy for future generations.
Andy’s Mum, Sue, goes on to explain:
“When Andrew was a young child, as a family we would often take walks up to Bestwood Country Park. He always enjoyed it so much, but especially loved the playground and always begged for ‘another five minutes’ to play. Even as a teenager he would spend countless hours up there with his friends on their bikes and as a member of the Air Cadets
playing pranks on the younger cadets. He also did work with the Park Rangers as a part of his Duke of Edinburgh award. It was one of his favourite places to be and we have so many fond memories of time shared with him in the Park.
Soon after Andrew’s passing, I ventured out for a wander around the park, only to find that the playground was being taken down and was so upset to hear that it wasn’t being replaced due to insufficient funding. I thought of the hours Andrew had spent on the park, and knew he would not have spent as much time in the lodge without the promise of some time to play on the playground as well. Consequently, I came across the idea of replacing the playground in Andrew’s memory so that future generations of children could enjoy creating similar memories. It also served as an outlet for my family and myself allowing us to focus our grief and anger towards something positive.
Together with my family, friends and the immense support received from the local community we eventually managed to raise the funds to replace the equipment. We held countless fundraising nights, arranged activities such as sponsored walks and runs, tree planting and even a sponsored head shave! The amount of help and support we received was overwhelming. Even to this day, I often speak to members of the community who took part in fundraising activities, who are now taking their grandchildren up to the park and explaining to them about who Andrew was and how we all helped to build the playground together.
For me the playground has always been a safe haven. A happy place to go when I want to remember Andrew and all of the lovely times we spent together as a family. It is so heart-warming seeing all of the children playing and laughing and creating memories with their own families and to know that we played such a huge part in making that possible. The idea, that all of this might simply be taken away is devastating and I cannot imagine Bestwood Country Park, without Andy’s adventure playground.”
Unfortunately the much-loved and widely used playground is wearing out and a lot of the equipment has had to be removed for health and safety reasons. If funds cannot be found this fabulous free resource, so well-loved by families, will be lost forever.
Both the Friends of Bestwood Country Park (FOB) and the Maycock family want to do everything within their gift to stop this happening.
Andy’s Sister, Leanne, writes:
“On 4 February 2000, we sadly lost my brother Andrew in a tragic road accident at the age of 16. As you can imagine, this was the most heart-breaking thing that I and my family had ever been faced with and it was extremely difficult to come to terms with. Soon after his passing, we found out that the Adventure Playground at Bestwood Country Park, one of Andrew’s very favourite places in the world, was being demolished. My Mum decided it would be a good idea to raise funds to reopen it in Andrew’s memory, both for the community, but also to give us something positive to focus on.
Over the following eighteen months, together with family, friends and the immense support received from the local community, we held countless fundraising nights and took part in several activities such as a sponsored 10-mile walk, runs, tree planting and even a sponsored head shave – eventually raising a grand total of £22,000 and replace the playground. The amount of help and support we received was overwhelming. Even to this day, we often speak to members of the community who took part in fundraising activities, who are now taking their own children and grandchildren up to the playground and explaining to them about who Andrew was and how we all helped to build the playground together.
However, recently certain aspects of the playground have been deemed unsafe, and the play equipment in itself needs replacing, meaning that we face the possibility of losing the playground completely. For me it has always been a safe haven. A happy place to go when I want to remember Andrew and all of the lovely times we spent together as a family. It is so heart-warming seeing all of the children playing and laughing and creating memories with their own families, and to know that we played such a huge part in making that possible. The idea that all this might simply be taken away is devastating and I cannot imagine Bestwood Country Park without Andy’s Adventure Playground. Therefore this petition will hopefully raise some awareness of this issue to prove that the local community care about this playground and the history behind it!”
This gofundme project has been set up by FOB with help from Sue and Leanne.
The initial fundraising back in 2000 as described by them took place before FOB was formed. Although many of our members already enjoyed the playground, we didn’t get going as a group until late 2007. When FOB heard of the current problem with unsafe equipment on Andy’s Adventure Playground we were determined to help whatever way we can to get funds to replace it. We, like Sue and Leanne, could not imagine our Park without it! The Park is big (690 acres) and the playground is set centrally in it, on the edge of woodland, with benches set around for family parties and a lovely view over hills and valleys to the north. It provides a safe destination and space for generations of little ones with their families to play in beautiful and relaxing surroundings.
The estimate for replacing the playground is around £50,000. As a group we have put in a bid to Nottinghamshire County Council’s Local Improvement Scheme for up to 50% of the total. However, we don’t know yet if this has been successful. In the meantime we have pledged some of our existing funds and are currently donating all the net proceeds from our regular Community Cafe – held every Saturday morning in the Dynamo House at Bestwood Country Park (10 am – 1 pm, NG6 8ZA) where customers can also make a cash donation if they wish, and see progress on our specially designed ‘playground-o-meter’.
But we are still a long way from our goal and we need all the public support we can get. Please donate whatever you can to this worthwhile cause so that future generation can continue to have access to this fabulous, free, outdoor resource in beautiful surroundings. .
Help us to ensure Andrew’s memory can live on through the children’s laughter and enjoyment
If you wish to find out more please have a look at the following links:
Petition:
https://www.change.org/p/sue-mcdonald-save-andy-s-adventure-playground-at-bestwood-country-park
FOB:
www.fbcp.org.uk
FOB ON FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Bestwood-Country-Park-495018247579357/
Organizer
Gillian Costello
Organizer
