South Somerset District Council’s Countryside Service has announced its success at securing £14,298 of funding from the Armed Forces Community Covenant Grant for the ‘Salute to Yeovil Country Park Project’.
South Somerset District Council intends to run five bespoke activities in Yeovil Country Park for Service families. Engagement would either be in relation to involving personnel with the organisation and delivery of the activities and, or in relation to enjoyment of the activities by service families and the wider public.
The project will involve setting up of Woodland Play Taskforce to devise and install permanent obstacle course in the ‘Riverside Walk’ part of Yeovil Country Park. Part of the obstacle course will include chainsaw carved sculptures to act as play items. Its installation will be celebrated at an event for Service families and the wider community.
‘Yaffle Missions’ incorporating various activities in Yeovil Country Park will be held on four consecutive days for 8-11 year olds and teenagers. Activities will include T-shirt design, willow sculpture, tent erection, orienteering, drills, camp cooking, obstacle courses and bat surveillance. The logo for Yeovil Country Park incorporates a green woodpecker; another name for this species is the ‘Yaffle’.
A Flag Week, incorporating Armed Forces Day, will be delivered. Service families and the wider community will design and create flags inspired by the wildlife, history and culture of Yeovil Country Park and Yeovil Town, including the armed forces. These will be displayed along a temporary trail in the Park.
An ‘X-Men Challenge’ will go ahead, whereby ex-Service personnel have to erect and dismantle a replica ‘Wendy House’ version of Ninesprings cottage. This would be run alongside a ‘Cottage Cake Challenge’ for the Service families and the wider public and interpretation of what was happening around the house during World War I and World War II.
A ‘Flight & Float Day’ will be an event based on aircraft and boats including such activities as creation of boats from junk materials, obstacle courses, flying of model helicopters and a ‘Flight-Float Cake Challenge’.
The last of the activities will be the creation of two ‘Call Sign Carvings’ for entrances to ‘Riverside Walk’. These wooden interpretation features will be designed and created by existing Service and ex-Service personnel families with support of a woodcarver.
Councillor Sylvia Seal, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture said, “We feel that it was timely to submit a request to the authorities for a grant because 64 homes have been procured for Service families in Wyndham Park, immediately adjacent to the ‘Riverside Walk’, a compartment of Yeovil Country Park. Further married quarters also exist within Yeovil and so the Park can play an important facility. We are very much looking forward to working with service personnel and veterans in achieving this project.”