Mackoy Donates Almost £19,000 to Local Community Project

Passionate groundworks specialists, Mackoy, donates money, time, labour and materials to create a playground for Lockerley and East Dean, Hampshire.

At Mackoy, we are very proud of the community and charity work that we do. So much so, in fact, that we’ve recently been nominated for Company of the Year at the Solent Business Awards, with what we give back to the communities we help to build being one of the main factors. With that in mind, when we heard about the work that was proposed at Lockerley – to install a playground for the local children to play in a safe environment – we just had to get involved; especially as Mike, our MD, lives in Lockerley.

About the Jubilee Field Playground for Lockerley and East Dean

Lockerley and East Dean are neighbouring villages in Hampshire, bordering Wilshire, with its nearest town Romsey in close proximity. The residents of this thriving community are proud and heavily involved in making the area the best it can be. With that, it was identified that the village lacked a place for kids to play and so fundraising efforts to create a playground begun.

After a plot of land was generously gifted to Lockerley Parish Council to be used for the community a project to build a much-needed playground began in 2017 with many fundraising efforts including concerts, cake stalls, donations from locals, and much more, including a £25,000 grant; combined, this raised £65,500 towards the £85,000 target for the playground.

So far, work to the site has included:

Completed groundworks by Mackoy, with new entrance, car park and field cleared and levelled to protect from water ditch at rear of field

Fencing and gates

Grass seed sown

Hedge cutting

To come, work includes:

A planning inspection

Choosing the design of the playground

Selecting the playground equipment

Installing the playground

Investing in a Local Community We are extremely passionate about giving back to the communities and with a young family, Mike understands the need for a safe, fun space for children to play and for local families to meet in the area he lives.

Mackoy completed the groundworks for the playground as well as operatives’ services, time and materials helping this project to progress. Because of this enough funds have been raised to pay for the entire playground to be built. This includes fencing costs, grass seeding, signs and launch event but most importantly means the project has approximately £55,000 to spend on playground equipment.

Anna Standen a member of the Lockerley and East Dean Playground Committee said, ‘We are extremely grateful to Mackoy and Mike for their generous donation. They have provided us with valuable ongoing support and advice since January 2018 when Mike got involved. The donation of all the groundworks that were needed has meant that we now have enough funds to build an amazing much needed playground for the villages of Lockerley and East Dean.’

The design is set to be completed in November with a view to install equipment in February, meaning that this brand new playground should be open in March, just in time for the beautiful spring weather. We can’t wait to see it all come to life and for people to enjoy the playground. This is certainly an exciting time for everyone in Lockerley and East Dean and we eagerly await completion. Here’s to everyone at Lockerley and East Dean Parishes, you’re doing an amazing job.

More information on the playground or to make a donation:

Email: claudiamaryrogers@gmail.com Phone: 01794 340 846

View Mackoy’s community work.