PROGRESS is being made as part of a wider plan to turn a park in Steeple Ashton into an outdoor reaction space after the entrance to the land was spruced up by some generous helpers.

The Acreshort Community Park group are making strides to turn the Acreshort Community Park into a popular village attraction, including play and adult fitness equipment, a nature trail and more trees and plants will go there too.

And to make the area more attractive, chairman of the Acreshort Community Park group, Pippa Birch, pulled some strings and managed to get Connor Construction and Aggregate Industries to lay down new asphalt, regraded the entrance and smoothed out the car park, free of charge.

“I am so grateful to both these two companies for doing this. I was able to pull some strings and it now looks great,” she said.

“I have known Ian Webb, the owner of Connor Construction, for a long time in the industry and I used to work for Aggregate Industries. They donated 20 tonnes of asphalt and Ian’s team regraded the entrance, which was a bit high and catching cars as they went in and out, rolled the existing car park to tidy up what was there already, and laid new asphalt areas outside the guide’s hut as well as to the entrance.This is a very exciting time for us.”

And it is about to get even more exciting for the community park group.

“We have just placed the order for the play and adult fitness equipment, which has been possible through donations from locals, the village recreation group, the parish council, Melksham Community Board, Tesco Bags for Help and a donation from Aviva when we weren’t successful in their funding competition,” she said.

“The equipment should be installed by the end of August and we have a grand opening planned for Saturday, September 22.

“A local person will be chosen by the residents by way of a nominations box in the shop - the name will be drawn on the day and they will then snip the ribbon. We are planning for all community groups to come along and show off what they do during the afternoon.”

In February, parish councillors, the Acreshort Community Park group and residents helped plant a Mary Barnett apple tree, a species of dessert apple, at the park, off Acreshort Lane.

84-year-old Margaret Kyte, the granddaughter of Mary Barnett who planted the tree by breeding species together, was also present at the ceremony.