Daisy Day

Our local play area is called Daisybank. It serves our estate on Highfield road/Spider lane, as well as Horns road, Bisley road, Bisley Old Road, Middle Street, Lower Street and Whitehall, to name but a few. In the last few years, a support group has been formed to look after the play facilities, which were being targeted by vandals. In 2005, a fantastic tilting roundabout, which was fully accessible by buggyand wheelchair users, was installed, at the Town Council's expense, but just a few years later it was burned down in an arson attack. Now the group is fundraising to buy another one. They have already had an accessible swing installed, on which several children can play at once.

So today's event was a sort of party in the park, with live music, stalls, board games and all sorts of impromptu events: someone had even brought along a rocking horse from their house so that everyone could have a go! We arrived rather late, but I enjoyed chatting to friends and watching people play in the sunshine, without iPads or phones, without squabbling or screaming. Sometimes we just all need a bit of sunshine and enough space to keep us happy.

The view over the other side of the valley is of the hamlet of Butterow. You can just see the rooftops of my street somewhat closer, behind the big white house. Many of my nieces and nephews have played in Daisybank over the years since we've lived here. Perhaps the most memorable occasion was when my niece, Flora, aged nine, was observed sliding down the poles of the climbing frame into the sand pit, in a fur coat!