MUGA opens in ‘deprived area’ in Rotherham could be named after the Chuckle Brothers

The MUGA on Oldfield Road in East Herringthorpe, one of the most deprived areas in the country, was officially opened to the public on Monday (August 21) by councillors, members of the Rotherham Titans and children from the estate.

The playground does not have a name just yet but it could be only a matter of time when that changes – it only needs a ward councillor to submit a paper.

Coun Michael Bennett-Sylvester (Independent, Dalton and Thrybergh) said he has been campaigning for the MUGA named after the Chuckle Brothers – Barry Elliott and Paul Elliott – who have connections to the area.

“The bottom line is I’ve got the admin to do but I’m lazy and the fault lies with me. Others are receptive to it. It’s a case of me pulling my finger out, but I will crack on with it,” he said.

He added: “We’ve come together, focused on a project and delivered something for the local community.

“We’ve got a new, revived play area and one of the main reasons we’re here today – we’ve got Titans Community Foundation and had Rotherham United Community Sports Trust in the past – is to get things for the community, especially neighbourhoods like this where you just don’t have any activity there for it.

“This is just a first step.

“The next step is to ask them what they want – do you want football, do you want basketball?

“It’s about giving young people something to do.”

Among the participants was Coun Sarah Ann Allen, the deputy leader of the council, and cabinet member for neighbourhood working and housing.

She said the MUGA was a sort of “thank you” to the community for putting up with some recent works on the estate.

She added: “We’re here today to celebrate this MUGA and this MUGA represents this area.

“A combination of some innovative use of different funding streams to bring it about and it’s brought back in an area that’s been here since the 1960s and it’s just generally declined.

“I think it’s really quite significant – it gets a good level of use, even though it’s a fairly new facility. I think these (for) surrounding properties – who deserve it anyhow – who have enjoyed a lot of noise and mess from the recent construction, it’s a bit of a ‘thank you for putting up with it’”.

Coun Allen added some nasty graffiti appeared on the site from time to time but they were ready to tackle anti-social behaviour.

She said: “We’ve had an awful lot of graffiti on the floor and the side of it but our determination is when it appears to remove it and keep on doing that to show that we as the local authority care about that.

“We will do our best to keep on doing it until we run out of money or time, or both.”