“It’s a place young people can enjoy and feel safe”: Thomas Turgoose applauds Grant Thorold PlayZone

Opened on Friday, 25 April, the ‘PlayZone’ multi-use games area (MUGA) in Grant Thorold Park will give residents the chance to play a range of sports from basketball to football, with a pitch size of approximately 30 by 20 metres, in built goals, hoops and line marking. 

Operated by the nearby Shalom Youth Centre, the emphasis is on ‘free to use’ community access, with an online booking system to ensure fairness and safety.  The PlayZone will also offer the opportunity for more formal sessions to be held, where groups can book for a small fee.

Turgoose, who spent a lot of time at the Shalom Centre in his youth, was joined by members of the local community at the opening event. A huge advocate of facilities like the PlayZone, he was thrilled to see children and young adults using it.

He said: “I think it’s brilliant, this is the first time I’ve seen it in full flow and it’s just great. You have an idea of what these things might look like when they’re built and open, but this is amazing and is such a nice surface for the kids to play on.

“Speaking to the people who are using it, the kids absolutely love it which is, of course, the main aim.”

He added: “It’s somewhere they can feel safe and enjoy playing and that’s important. When I was their age, we had places to play, but nothing as good as this.

“For me, the whole idea of sports is it's a great escapism, nothing else really matters and you can forget about what's going in your life and just enjoy doing something different.”

The project will be funded with 75% of the total cost from the Football Foundation, with the remaining 25% from Safer Streets grant funding and NELC funding sources. 

Councillor Hayden Dawkins, portfolio holder for Culture, Heritage, and the Visitor Economy, said: “The Grant Thorold PlayZone is a fantastic refurb of an old play area, and we look forward to it being well used by the local community. 

“It provides people of all ages with a quality and modern facility, and the opportunity to take part in a whole range of activities, supporting people to be more active, more often.”

The money for the scheme has been awarded as a grant from the Premier League, The FA and the Government via the Football Foundation.