There's a great atmosphere here at the moment.
Kids are having a wonderful time.
They are tackling challenges to suit their ability.
SLDC have done a great job of choosing equipment with varying degrees of risk involved.
There are a wide range of activities to suit different ages and the layout has been thoughtfully put together.
Parents I spoke to yesterday were full of praise.
The children play really well together and the adults are beginning to dare talk to each other as they, for the most part, sit around and watch.
The presence of this park in Ulverston owes much to Phil Lister speaking up when he was a SLDC councillor at a meeting when Windermere declined the offer of a theme park there.
Phil piped up quickly with "If you don't want the money, we'll have it".
The money was thus earmarked for Ulverston several years ago.
After some discussion Phil, a Labour Councillor, persuaded the other councillors not to rip up existing equipment in Lightburn Park but agreed to support the Conservatives in their bid to have the equipment on Croftlands.
This was a great decision; the equipment benefitted from all the extra space available on the site on Central Drive.
There have been some moans about the lack of parking for cars but I can't see this as a serious problem as there are a lot of alternative places.
Yes Croftlands will get "invaded" by lots of people from outlying areas. but this will in the long term be to their benefit. The kind of people being attracted have very positive outlooks and amny great friendships will result.
As someone very interested in supporting parks in general; Mill Dam and Lightburn in particular; I hope a similar spirit can be encouraged at both these parks through the efforts made by local people in their park.
Work in Mill Dam is going really well - Lightburn, apart from the Skateboarding facility and one new piece of equipment, is on hold because of lack of enthusiasm in a potentially difficult area.
Maybe Lightburn will draw some strength from seeing what can be done on Croftlands and by a small group, with little official support, the BUGs,in Mill Dam.
So well done Phil Lister and the design team at SLDC which includes the overworked Engineer Peter Clarke and his behind the desk counterpart Tony Naylor.
Well done - we need a plaque to honour them.
I could make a ceramic one if this would be appropriate.
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