New £70K play area to be built at Pontefract Castle

Young visitors to Pontefract Castle will soon be able to have even more fun when a new £70,000 play area arrives on site.
The castle-themed play area will feature equipment including a battering ram swing, drawbridge, ramparts, cargo nets, two slides and more.The castle-themed play area will feature equipment including a battering ram swing, drawbridge, ramparts, cargo nets, two slides and more.
The castle-themed play area will feature equipment including a battering ram swing, drawbridge, ramparts, cargo nets, two slides and more.

The castle-themed play area will feature equipment including a battering ram swing, drawbridge, ramparts, cargo nets, two slides and more.

Coun Jacquie Speight​, Wakefield Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: "This is an exciting development at the castle and something that is sure to be a hit with our younger visitors.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"The play area incorporates challenging and engaging play opportunities and is a high-quality, bespoke design especially for Pontefract Castle.

"I'd like to thank the Pontefract North ward councillors who have helped fund this project which will be enjoyed by many young people in their community as well as visitors to our much-loved castle."

The playground has been funded by both Wakefield Council and the council's Local Capital Grants programme.

Work will begin on Monday, September 16, when all of the materials will be delivered to site. As a lot of heavy equipment will be transported past the visitor centre, the castle will be closed on that day.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, the site will re-open the following day and the play area will take around two weeks to build.

The play area is the latest development at the castle where the £5million Key to the North project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England and Wakefield Council, was completed recently, leading to the announcement that the castle will be removed from Historic England's 'at risk' register in October.

The Local Capital Grants programme sees £50,000 allocated, annually, to each of the Council's 21 wards to fund projects that will improve the lives of local residents.

Ward councillors work closely with residents and voluntary and community groups to identify projects which will benefit their local communities.

Councillors Lorna Malkin, Clive Tennant and Pat Garbutt from the Pontefract North ward have supported this project.