OTLEY and Yeadon ward councillors, along with Otley Town Council and two community groups are celebrating a significant investment of over £250,000 to improve six local play parks.

The funding will bring much-needed upgrades and enhancements for families and young people across the area. The play parks set to benefit are: Wharfemeadow Park; Weston Lane; Garnetts Field; Grove Hill Park; Caxton Road in Otley and Henshaw's in Yeadon.

This latest round of improvements follows the recent renewals of three other play parks: Well Croft in Otley, and Yeadon Tarn and Marshall Street play parks in Yeadon. With these six new projects, all play parks in the ward will have been either replaced, renewed, or renovated within the last five years.

The investment comes after city councillors met with Leeds City Council’s Parks and Countryside Team to lobby for funding as many of the parks had begun to look tired, worn and, at times, needing pieces of play equipment removed on safety grounds. With financial support from the ward councillors and Otley Town Council, along with welcome funding from Parks and Countryside, the six play parks will be renewed and refurbished according to need.

Local community groups such as the Friends of Weston Playpark and Caxton Park Community Group will be consulted in helping to shape the future of these play areas as plans progress.

Cllr Sandy Lay said: “We are thrilled to have secured this substantial investment for our local parks. These spaces are at the heart of our community, and this funding will allow us to make real improvements that families and children can enjoy for years to come.”

Councillor Colin Campbell said: “This is an exciting moment for Otley and Yeadon. We’ve been working hard to deliver better facilities, and it’s fantastic to see this funding now in place so we can move forward with these projects.”

Otley Town Council's Cllr Richard Hughes said: “We will continue to work with the Friends of Weston Playpark and Caxton Park Community Group, to gather ideas and feedback for each of their parks. We want to ensure that the designs reflect the needs and desires of our community.”

Cllr Ryk Downes said: “We aim to begin work on the parks within the next year. By this time next year, we hope to see these play areas revitalised, with new equipment and spaces that will be enjoyed by children across Otley and Yeadon. We look forward to working closely with groups like the Friends of Weston Playpark and Caxton Park Community Group as their schemes develop.”

Cllr Lay added: “We really are pleased that both Otley & Yeadon will now have play parks that can provide play parks our young children deserve. But there is always more to be done so we will continue to work with our partners and our community to find funds to go even further in our aspirations for every child to able to play, to exercise, and to enjoy themselves in a safe and welcoming environment."