| A change of use at the premise of a West Midlands regional project, has led to a new lease of life for the play area. Originally, the play area was installed at a former project in West Bromwich in 2003 by the West Midlands Spoon for £9,000. The building was operated by a residents association and eventually taken over by the PCT who served notice on all the voluntary organisations located there. The PCT informed the former Spoon project they would dismantle and dump all the play equipment unless we removed it ourselves which is when we stepped in to save it and put it to new use.
Taken down piece by piece at the former site by two volunteers, the timber framework and soft matting have been transported across to the other side of Birmingham and donated to a community project. Culmington Hall is a community centre in the shadow of the former Rover works in Longbridge where volunteers run a children's crèche and playgroups for local residents. Since the demise of the car giant, unemployment has played a big part of the area so a new playground has been a welcome boost for residents.
Regional Chairman Phil Pemble is indebted to his company Pertemps People Development Group for providing the handyman skills of Barry Moss and Colin Walsh to dismantle and re-assemble the wooden structure which was the recent subject of a feature by BBC local radio on regeneration. A fun day was organised for the community and included a children's entertainer who created a rugby ball in Spoon colours from balloons for a publicity shot. Phil commented, "Having the support of Barry and Colin was vital and for Colin as a former Rover worker, it was an opportunity to give something back to the community where he once worked. Pertemps have also helped me by contributing a further £500 to extend the soft play area and to provide additional seating for the area. I'm grateful for the time they allow me in supporting Wooden Spoon."
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