Play areas to begin re-opening in the Vale from Monday 6 July – but please stay safe and wash your hands!
Released on July 3, 2020
Play areas in the Vale of White Horse managed by the district council will begin to re-open from Monday 6 July.
Vale of White Horse District Council will carry out a phased re-opening – this means play areas will only re-open once safety checks have been carried out and officers are happy they are safe for people to use.
The first play area to re-open will be at Abbey Meadow in Abingdon, followed by others across the town. The council will then check play areas in Wantage and Faringdon later in the week.
The sites have been closed and not used for a few months, so the district council wants to ensure everything is safe before opening again, so please bear with us.
People are urged to not use play areas until they have passed safety checks and have signs to say they are safe to use again – please do not enter any play areas which are closed.
Important information about staying safe in our play areas
Once a play area is open, visitors will be urged to stay safe by following a few simple instructions which are being introduced to reduce the risk of people transmitting COVID-19.
People are asked to:
- wash or sanitise their hands before entering the play area and then again after they leave;
- come back at a quieter time, if the play area is busy;
- follow social distancing.
The council is also asking that only one adult per child is in the play area at a time.
Cllr Jenny Hannaby, Cabinet Member for Housing and Environment at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “I’m delighted that we can re-open our play areas again and I know many young children and their parents will have been looking forward to this moment.
“As a council we are responsible for the play areas we own and will carry out cleaning to help reduce the potential risk of the virus to visitors. However, it would be impossible to clean every piece of equipment after each time a child touches it.
“We are therefore asking parents and their children to follow some very simple instructions to avoid transmitting the virus. It is particularly important that everyone washes their hands before entering the play area and then again as soon as they leave. This is the best way for people to stay safe and protect others while enjoying themselves.”
If anyone notices any issues with a Vale play area they are asked to report it by calling 01235 422404 or by emailing parks@southandvale.gov.uk
To report anti-social behaviour – call 101.
