New movement to raise £20,000 for essential Newcastle play area repairs

A campaign to raise funds for necessary repairs to the Leazes Park children’s play area is set to commence on December 23rd with Northern Lights Newcastle providing much needed support.

This comes after Urban Green Newcastle, an independent charity, was handed control of the city’s parks by Newcastle City Council in 2019 and deemed multiple pieces of the park’s play equipment to be unsafe for use, cordoning off the play area in response. Since its formation, the charity has raised more than £800,000 for investments in Newcastle’s parks and play areas.

A short-term target of £20,000 will need to be made to undertake essential repairs to the play area however it is estimated that upwards of £40,000 is required to properly remove, dispose of and replace the park’s entire climbing frame equipment.

Leazes Park officially opened in 1873 with a lake initially intended for ice-skating. Now, it is stocked with fish provided by the Leazes Park Angling Association. The park’s balustraded promenade was recently restored to its original design in 2017.

Chief Executive of Urban Green Newcastle, Carol Pyrah celebrates: “What better way to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening of Leazes Park than gifting this historic city centre green space with an improved play area, in keeping with the original spirit of Newcastle’s ‘People’s Park’”.

Northern Lights Newcastle is set to host its Christmas Lights Trail at the park between November 23^rd – January 1^st and has already pledged a substantial donation to the cause, promising to match its donations with purchases of tickets for its event for up to £10,000. Those who buy tickets for the event will also be able to forward donation to Urban Green Newcastle if they wish to partake in the fundraiser.

Roxy Robinson, Northern Lights Events Director, has expressed her active support, stating that the organization is “committed to doing our bit to help improve facilities at the park in collaboration with the park owners”. The event is set to attract an excess of 130,000 visitors during its run at Leazes Park.

Contributions to the fundraiser can be made via the Northern Lights donation page.