Village News 2007

Stafford Orchard Lottery Bid gains Stage 1 Pass
October 2007

NATIONAL LOTTERY PUTS QUORN ON TRACK FOR PARK TRANSFORMATION

Months of anxious waiting by the team bidding for a lottery grant to revitalise Stafford Orchard came to an end recently with the good news that The Heritage Lottery Fund and The Big Lottery’s Parks for People scheme has given a pass to the bid at stage one and has awarded Quorn Parish Council a £31,700 grant to develop the project over the next year to Stage 2. The stage one pass could lead to a grant of £645,000.

The bid was prepared by a team of village volunteers working under the umbrella of the Parish Council, with professional help from landscape architects, Bellinger Design of Evesham, who have worked with Quorn before on the redevelopment of The Cross and The Banks.

Quorn people may recall the mini ‘exhibitions’ held outside the shops on Station Road on frosty days in February when members of the team sought the village’s view on the plans. The comments and suggestions gathered were used to modify and improve the ‘masterplan’ before submitting it to the Lottery Board, and further consultation will now take place to ensure that the final plan reflects what the village wants from its much loved park.

Unfortunately the Stafford Orchard has suffered this year from a heavy spate of criminal damage and anti-social behaviour from groups of youths. With this cash injection to move us further towards the regeneration of the Stafford, the Parish Council can now seriously look, as a part of the plans, at security measures which have previously proven too expensive. The proposed scheme includes plans to improve lighting and maintenance and the installation of CCTV. A new groundsman will be appointed and local people given the opportunity to join in through volunteering. The plans also make provision for a peaceful sensory garden and information about the history and archaeology of the park for visitors to learn from.

Councillor Ivan Bexon commented:
“We are a parish council with modest resources. The commitment from the volunteers who worked on this lottery grant application, and who are now about to undertake the detailed planning of the reconstruction and long term management of the park, was intense but rewarding.”

Councillor Mrs Sue Templeman also added:
“We welcome this opportunity to gather together the considerable talents and strengths of all the members of the Parish Council and members of the village community to work this bid up to a successful Stage 2 application, when an almost unbelievable £645,500 grant will be ours to develop the largest public project the village has ever seen.”

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