PARENTS and children who use a play park in Sycamore Drive say they are determined not to let it fall into dilapidation.

Members of the community started an appeal after reading about Cheshire East Council’s review of public spaces in the Guardian.

They have now received the backing of Middlewich Clean Team, Community Pride and Clr Paul Edwards, of Middlewich Town Council.

Many feel the park has been neglected as the footpaths and sandpit are overgrown, shards of metal are sticking out of the ground and the paintwork is fading.

Some play equipment has been removed and not replaced and the park has been prone to vandalism.

Mum Lisa McAnish said: “There’s often broken glass, bottles and cans. The problem with a park like this is once it gets in a state it attracts vandals.

“If it’s nice, people can take pride in it. One parent said to me she won’t bring her child here because it’s too dangerous.”

Natalia Lazskiewicz, 10, said: “I don’t like the bumps and the swings are all rusty and not nice.”

Lisa, of takes her son Harry, four, to the park almost every day.

The 31-year-old said: “Before I had him this was a nice little place. It needs a complete overhaul to make it less dangerous.”

Clr Edwards added: “One of the big problems you get with these relatively new estates is that they put these play areas in and then the maintenance disappears altogether. They fall into dilapidation.”

Janet Chisholm, founder of Middlewich Clean Team, and Bernice Walmsley, chairman of Middlewich Community Pride, visited the park with the Guardian last Monday.

Bernice said: “We are looking at play areas and some are in need of being maintained to the standard we expect.

“We will ask for the bushes to be cut back as a starting point. We just need to keep putting the pressure on.”

Janet, who is also concerned about the state of the Booth Lane park, added: “It’s encouraging to see young people come forward and make a stand and not accept things as they are.

“What we need is more facilities to get young people off the streets and away from children’s play areas - somewhere they can take pride in.”

Cheshire East is asking councils to outline how the town’s open spaces are used, what concerns they have about their state and how they could be improved.

Clr Edwards said: “We’ll look at our open spaces and make sure we keep them. We need to keep our open spaces because we don’t have many left. To lose them would be a disgrace.”

Lisa added: “The council may say its budget has been cut but we’ve got less money too so the parks are more important than before.”