The South Swindon Parish Council column

By Cllr Neil Hopkins - Chair of South Swindon Parish Council

Since the Parish Council elections it has been an incredibly busy period with the council busy completing many projects.

Quarry Road Tennis Courts

I am delighted to say the Quarry Road Tennis Courts redevelopment is nearly completed and will be open soon. This redevelopment will turn what was pothole ridden tennis courts into some of the highest standard public tennis courts in the country.

The National Tennis Association (NTA) will be managing the courts. They have a great track record of running the Swindon Tennis Centre at the St Mark’s Recreation Ground, as well as other courts across the south and England and I can’t wait to see them recreate the same successes at Quarry Road.

Badbury Park Community Hub

The Badbury Park Community Hub is due to open on 1 July with a formal opening which all in the community are invited to. As well as being a hireable space for community bookings, the centre is also going to host the brand new Badbury Park Library, which will be open three days a week.

The new library will be run by the same fantastic team from Old Town Library.

The Community Hub is available for bookings. To make a booking email community@southswindonpc.gov.uk or phone 07798 743668.

Buckhurst Family Fun Day

I’d like to thank everyone who came along to the Buckhurst Family Fun Day on Saturday 3 June. The purpose of the event was to showcase local organisations and provide free or highly discounted entertainment for families and judging by the response from residents this was really welcomed. A big thank you to Buckhurst Community Centre, volunteers and parish council staff for organising this event. I would also like to thank Nationwide Building Society and their Oakfield Team for sponsoring this event. This sponsorship made a huge difference.

Town Gardens Aviary

Our parish maintenance team have been busy redeveloping the aviary in the Town Gardens. The aviary was originally built as a timber/metal aviary in 1928 and was refurbished into its current structure in 1994 as part of the Town Gardens Centenary Celebrations. It will be great to create a new legacy for the aviary for residents.

Town Gardens Bowl Events

Now the summer has started we will be putting on a range of events in the Town Gardens for people to enjoy.

This summer we have a range of music acts from Supersonic Queen to the My Dad’s Bigger Than Your Dad Festival which features local acts. It will also host outdoor theatre and nationally known stand up comedians. To find out more information and to book tickets for events in the Bowl visit: www. towngardens-swindon.co.uk