Ranskill: Celebrations all round on an historic day for the village

The people of Ranskill had a field day in every sense as they celebrated becoming part of a special scheme.

Villagers all gathered to celebrate the village park being re-named Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Park and registered with the Fields in Trust - thus ensuring its future as a recreation ground is guaranteed for ever.

Fields In Trust is a national charity established in 1925 and Ranskill’s re-naming is part of their Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubliee project to protect as many open spaces in the country as possible for future generations.

The Jubilee project is supported by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

The re-naming events are known as ‘field days’ and for the parish council, it marked the end of several months of hard work.

“It was a very successful day, the weather gods smiled on us and those that were there had a very good time,” said Dave McAra, clerk to the Parish Council and one of the organising committee.

“Our theme was people, food and the outdoors and to that end, we had plenty of food stalls, lots of games and generally encouraged people from the village and surrounding areas to get outdoors and enjoy themselves.”

“The egg and spoon races were particularly popular with the children, we had a great time with them.”

“Notts fire service also brought one of their appliances down in the afternoon too and that proved very popular with children and parents alike.”

As well as the events, there was also the formal re-naming of the field and the presentation of a plaque to commemorate the event.

And now, work starts towards the next big goal for the village which is to build a community centre on the edge of the park.

“That will be the next phase of our overall project and that is the big one for us, getting that community centre built on the east side of the park,” continued Mr McAra.

“Getting the Fields in Trust status for the park is a great thing for the village and now we want to get the final part of the plan completed.”

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