New hoops and nets for the Basketball Court
Sometimes a park improvement only needs to be a small thing!
On Tuesday 13 June 2023 we received a message via the Skatepark Development Project Facebook page.
It was a polite enquiry from Alex, a regular user of the basketball court on the Skatepark MUGA, asking if the basketball nets could be replaced as they were very tatty (almost hanging off in fact). Alex explained that it is a much better experience for users when good nets are fitted and he offered to contribute towards the cost.
We hadn't really noticed that there were any nets at all to be honest, and initial enquiries with the council suggested that they don't normally fit them.
Closer inspection revealed that the hoops don't even have hooks for the nets to clip onto (which is normal council policy) and someone had attached the existing ones with tape.
We concluded that users must have fitted these nets themselves at some time in the past. When we discussed this further with the council they offered to fit new hoops with hooks, so it was easier to attach nets in the future. We accepted this offer gratefully and they have said they will place an order but it will be at least 2 to 3 weeks before they arrive.
To tide things over until the new hoops are available we ordered a pair of nets (£8.98) and some Velcro cable-ties to attach them with (£6.50). This was initially funded by our 50-50 Club and fitted on Monday 19 June. However, Alex was very pleased and has since made a donation that more than covers those costs, thank you!
Going forward, it will be interesting to see how long the nets last and if we get reasonable use out of them then maybe we can continue to renew when they need it.
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