Clay hanger’s Park is lovely, but not great for older kids, especially in Summer. Imagery from Bing! Maps.
I’ve received an astoundingly impressive email from Matty Keating, who’s a young lad aged eleven from Clayhanger – like me when I was his age, he feels his age group are not being well catered for in the village and he’s campaigning for a skate park.
Matty has sent the following email to Richard Shepherd MP, Councillors Barbara Cassidy, Steve Wade and Steve Craddock, Walsall’s Mayor, the Greenspaces and Sports teams at Walsall Council, Sports England… and also to me.
Matty has written eloquently and articulately and I fully support him in his endeavour – kids don’t have enough facilities around Clayhanger, and a similar facility in Walsall Wood is well loved and used.
Matty, you are a credit to your parents and school. Best of luck! This is a fine idea and you deserve total support.
If you can help him out, please comment here or mail me: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com, and I’ll pass the messages on. Cheers!
Dear Members of the Council
I am writing to ask for the provision of a Skate Park in Clayhanger in the Clayhanger Park. I have many reasons for this request.
My first reason is that it will keep kids like me off the streets and give us somewhere to go and something to do without getting moaned at by adults. It will give kids the opportunity to get out more especially in the summer, because when the goal nets are taken down when the season ends we have nothing to do.
Another reason is that it is a great idea because people like me who love scootering, skateboarding and BMX, will have somewhere to go to do what we enjoy. It will get used regularly because the closest good skate park is in Cannock where we always have to rely on adults to take us there. This is difficult when we want to play all day. A skate park would be great, kids will love it because it would be free and they can come and go when ever they want to and it will make the park a better place to be because it will be used more for the right reason unlike it is now. It would give kids a good day out and when they go to the park there will be a variety of things to do.
Another reason is that it will help us kids keep healthy and fit and out in the fresh air.
My final reason is that the park is too young for kids like me and the park needs something new and something that older people can use as at the moment the park is aimed at kids aged 4-9 and once you are older than that there is nothing to do and if we do on to the park we get moaned at by parents of the younger kids who say we are too old for the park.
Please could you think about providing this for us kids in Clayhanger.
Yours sincerely
Matty Keating
Aged 11.
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I totally agree -we certainly need something in clayhanger, i mean the park is big enough to cater for this, my son is 15 and has always complained about there being nowhere in clayhanger for his age group. He too skateboards and has to go into Walsall to skateboard, so this would be extremely beneficial for the older children in the village and get then active and healthy. I hope something can be done.
I also agree.. young people NEED something to burn off their energy!!… the old adage.. “The Devil makes work for idle hands” is still true today! youths don’t want to wander about,they want to have somewhere to go!!…In the Seventy’s Brownhills Comp were working at making an Adventure playground in Clayhanger , With The Forest of Merica supplying the wood’. Great excitment by all.. We had the press the local Councilor’s Teachers etc..( I still have the photo”) alas it never came to pass. I myself approached Walsall MBC regarding the facilities on Clayhanger Park when my grandchildren were growing up and was told that it was because we were not in a deprived area!! ..well i think we ARE deprived of Facilities for our Park…..
I think this an excellent idea… there is nothing for the kids to do round here!!! This would make use of an existing area providing activities for young people to get active.
You go for it Matty, good luck mate.
Good for you Matty, I wish you well and whilst I don’t live in Clanger I know the park as my youngest lad used to play football there, it’s plenty big enough.
The skatepark at Walsall Wood was created out of the same acorn Matty, my eldest son was involved, although far from instrumental, in highlighting the need for the facility, it is well used to this day.
It’s essential that you get plenty of support and rope in some adult help as well, you’re the right age to take full advantage of social media to highlight the need, gain attention to the case and more importantly get commitment from the Council to do something. Write to the local media, papers, television, get them to come down and show the plans, keep Bob up-to date on your progress and press him (it shouldn’t need much pressing) to cover the ongoing story, but don’t give up! With each setback keep hammering away, arrange a petition, go to the council house, make placards and banners and put them up around the village asking for help and highlighting the project, explain the benefits that everyone, not just the kids who use the skate park, twill benefit from it’s construction, get your school involved, ask a favourite teacher to support you, form a committee of youngsters with one or two adults.
Good luck Matty,
Peter…………
Try the local CO-OP. They are usually keen to support community projects.
Good Luck
http://www.hlf.org.uk/looking-funding/our-grant-programmes/parks-people Have a read Matty and see if you think this might work for you. I’m sure you’d find support from both local councillors and the council’s parkies – most people want to see parks improve and thrive. I’ve seen the disquiet from local residents about broken glass from young people hanging around in the park and how it stops them from using the park with their young children. I get that, I really do. What they perhaps don’t see is that if young people feel they have some say in some of the space they’ll probably treat it well.
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I personally never believed that this would work. Those who have lived in the village since its birth would be deterred from happy living due to extra noise levels as they live on the very boundary of the park. In addition, with a skate park, the village’s park could become over-crouded by teenagers who wouldn’t comply with the wishes of our older residents. There’s always the possibility of drug trafficking and violence, for example, the Walsall Wood space park has been littered with these atrocious features. Knife crime could build up due to gangs. We want our residents to feel safe in their village! If vandalism becomes a problem then the current facilities for younger children would become unusable.
Thanks,
A teenager from Clayhanger.
*crowded
*skate park
Teenagers these days. Such adult writing skills and concerns, and in school time too!
I didn’t drop off the last banana boat.
Bob
Hi Bob
“Those who have lived in Clayhanger since its birth” ? Doubtless if they were still alive today they would turn in their graves.
kind regards
David