Heritage Backs Inclusive Playground

Nanango’s Heritage Community Branch has announced it will contribute $3 for every dollar the community raises to build an inclusive playground at Nanango’s Butter Factory Park (Photo: Wikipedia)

November 12, 2018

A campaign to create an inclusive playground at Butter Factory Park in Nanango has received a major boost from Nanango’s Heritage Bank.

On Monday, Heritage Nanango Community Fund (HNCF) announced it would match contributions towards the project on a $3-for-$1 basis.

HNCF chairperson Wendy Zerbst said Heritage recognised the need for an inclusive playground for special needs children and adults in the region, and the wide support the idea had received since it was announced earlier this year.

The Butter Factory Park project is estimated to cost about $80,000.

Wendy said HNCF would support the project up to a maximum of $60,000 over the coming year, reducing the amount the community needs to raise by almost 75 per cent.

Several fundraising activities have already been held in Nanango over the past few months, with the next one – a “Zombie Invasion” at Tipperary Flats – scheduled for November 24.

The Nanango Tourism and Development Association (NaTDA) has set up a special account where event organisers can deposit funds.

The group was approached to act as a central collection point for community fundraising activities in late August to ensure all monies received for the project were held in a central place and correctly documented.

“We kicked off the fundraising drive ourselves with our annual Casino Night in September, and were very pleased to see other groups such as The Waterhole Rocks and Zombie Apocalypse come aboard not long after,” past president Barry Green said.

“The Palace Hotel has also been taking up fundraising collections for the park project, and I’d encourage other businesses and community groups to get aboard, too.”

Wendy Zerbst said HNCF was very happy to support the project, but had been obliged to wait for information from several groups so it could finalise the grants process at its end.

HNCF will now deposit funds for the project to NaTDA’s special account each month as new donations flow in.

Wendy said HNCF applauded the community’s fundraising efforts and the faster the $20,000 target was achieved, the sooner work on Butter Factory Park could get underway.

The project has also received support from the South Burnett Regional Council, which voted in June to give in-principle support to the project, subject to a fully costed proposal being prepared and presented to Council at some future time.