Lions take pride of place at village’s open day

LIONS were at large in the village of Little Horwood on Sunday, when members of the Milton Keynes basketball team turned out to help villagers celebrate the completion of extensive works to their recreation ground.

The Little Horwood Recreation Ground Trust is a group of volunteers who got together with the aim of updating the recreation grounds and community recreation hall to provide a fit-for-purpose facility to the community and surrounding villages.

And after managing to secure a large amount of grant funding, the trust has been able to give the facilities the major overhaul they needed.

A £17,440 grant from Aylesbury Vale District Council’s Community Chest provided the village with a multi-use games area (MUGA) that can be used for tennis, football and basketball.

A grant of £49,000 from WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd) funded the development of brand new environmentally friendly toilet facilities at the hall, complete with rainwater harvesting, solar panels and facilities for disabled users. And with a grant of £9,269 from Awards for All, the trust was able to develop the hardstanding area outside the hall and create a driveway to improve access.

Committee member Ruth Smith said there was a big turnout of villagers wanting to support the open afternoon and see the new facilities for themselves.

“It was really buzzing,” she said.

Now the whole community is encouraged to hire the hall and make use of the new facilities for events, evening classes, parties and children’s events.