Playtime is back as park improvements continue
Mowbray Park's much loved children's play area has reopened following a £282,000 revamp.
The renovation, which is part of a raft of wider improvements to the park, has seen the play area's landmark slide being given a makeover, together with the installation of new inclusive rides and slides. Paths and seating areas in the play area have also been renovated and made more accessible.
Funding for the revamp has also been invested in new adult outdoor gym equipment behind the park's former bowling pavilion to extend year-round outdoor opportunities for residents and visitors, with work due for completion over the next few months.
Other recent improvements have seen specialist contractors brought in to carry out £4,000 of essential work to the island in the middle of the pond, which has long been a favourite spot for wildlife. This has involved removing dangerous tree branches and has also opened up the island and made it more visible.
Councillor Lindsay Leonard, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Net Zero at Sunderland City Council, said: "It's a really exciting time for Mowbray Park with so many improvements, including to our much-loved play area and the bowling pavilion as well as the installation of new outdoor gym equipment.
"We know how much our residents and visitors enjoy and value this fantastic green space in the heart of our city centre which is why we are constantly looking at how we can make the most if it."
A further £64,000 is being invested in carrying out repairs to the former Bowls Pavilion which has been empty for a number of years. These will be sympathetic to the original finishes and the current look of the building.
The proposed work includes repairs to gutters, external decorative timbers, roof covering, rendering and repairs of the roller shutters, with repairs anticipated to get underway next spring.
Community safety also continues to be a priority in the park with visible patrols, proactive enforcement, and close partnership working with Northumbria Police and other key partners, as well as CCTV monitoring to deter anti-social behaviour, support responses to incidents and help identify anyone involved in criminality, with footage used to support enforcement action where appropriate.
Cllr Kelly Chequer, Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member Health, Wellbeing and Safer Communities at Sunderland City Council, whose role includes responsibility for community safety, said: "We know people want to feel safe when visiting the park which is why we're committed to ensuring that Mowbray Park remains a safe, welcoming, and well-maintained space for residents, visitors, and families."
Plans for a major revamp of Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, which overlooks the park, are also progressing.
The planned redevelopment follows a successful £5.2m funding application to The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). The project is also being supported by significant investment from the council alongside a package of funding support from Arts Council England - Museums, Estates and Development Fund (MEND) and The Friends of Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens (FOSUMs).
Spanning across four years, this will be unpinned by a vibrant programme of activity delivered citywide ensuring the museum remains open in pop-up spaces across Sunderland including Mowbray Park and community garden whilst the building is physically closed to the public for its refurbishment.
Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism Cllr Beth Jones, said: "It's going to be great to see preparatory work starting next year, ahead of a significant redevelopment of Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens.
"This will include a new visitor entrance to better connect the park with the Museum and Winter Gardens, as well as new social spaces, a new 'Growing/Learning Space', two new galleries, improvements to the Winter Gardens and improved access to the Museum Collection, including a range of external and internal repairs and landscape improvements to the rear terrace."
