Donate
Book hallDonate

HomeNewsStory

Urgent appeal

Story · October 2026

The children who chose Fivehead's play area in 2004 are now being asked to help save it

Fivehead's trustees want to hear from the village children who voted for their play area's design in July 2004.

The play area after 2005, with the tower the children chose
The play area after 2005, with the tower the children chose

Update, 22 October 2026. Our current Play On target is £60,000, focused on reopening and improving the play area. We are obtaining quotations, and the target may increase as costs become clearer. Our longer-term ambition includes the wider park, extra parking, and improvements to the Village Hall and other buildings.

For journalistsThis story is also a news release. Facts, pictures and logos are in our press area, or email [email protected].

In 2004 a questionnaire went to every home in Fivehead and found 48 children living in the village. On 3 July 2004, at the Fivehead Junior Superstars event, they voted for a new design for their play area: a climbing tower, a roundabout and new swings. The Junior Superstars raised £309.14 towards the cost, and the new play area opened in 2005.

Those children are now in their twenties and thirties, and some have children of their own. The play area they chose has been behind temporary fencing since August 2025.

The new trustees of Fivehead Village Hall & Park, appointed on 7 October 2026, have launched Fivehead Park: Play On to get it open again, with an ambitious first target of £60,000. They are asking the Junior Superstars of 2004 to get in touch, share what they remember and come back to the play area for a photo at the fence.

Stuart Wild, Chair of Trustees, said: "Generations of Fivehead children have grown up on this play area. Our first priority is simple: get it open again and get those fences down. We want to keep everything that can safely be kept, and give the village a play area that works for every age, from toddlers to teenagers."

Anyone who voted in 2004, or who has photos or memories of the play area, can email [email protected].

Ends

Notes to editors

  • Fivehead Village Hall & Park is the working name of Fivehead Village Hall and Playing Field CIO, registered charity number 1204704. It runs Fivehead Village Hall and Fivehead Park on Stowey Road, Fivehead, Taunton TA3 6PP, for everyone in Fivehead and Swell.
  • Fivehead Park has a play area, a fenced MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area) and two football pitches, used by North Curry Football Club youth teams. The Village Hall opened in 2005.
  • The trustees are Stuart Wild (Chair), Peter Headington (Treasurer), Ed Jenkins (Secretary), Sharon Edwards (Events Lead) and Laura Bardell (Village Liaison Lead).
  • Archive documents and photos are on our press page, free to use with credit to Fivehead Village Hall & Park.
  • Photo calls and interviews: [email protected]
Pictures to downloadFivehead Park: Play On