The Rachel Watts Play Park was opened at the popular Ovins Rise development in Haddenham on 21st January.
Mark Hugo, Parish Councillor and past Chair of Haddenham Community Land Trust, spoke briefly to a gathering of 40 people. Rachel Watts was instrumental in helping tenants of HCLT settle in their new homes and acted as Housing Manager for the Trust until her tragic death in 2022, aged 46. Mark said Rachel “tackled everything with huge enthusiasm, determination and just damn good common sense”, he went on to point out that Rachel had also performed similar roles for Stretham and Wilburton CLT and for East Cambs CLT, “where she also performed her magic.”
Rachel’s daughters Ruby (17) and Isabel (15) cut a ribbon to mark the opening of the park and her mother Janice Holmes and step-father Alan Holmes and husband David Watts were also present. Mum Janice explained how much the CLT meant to Rachel, “She really got alongside the tenants and understood their various situations. She cared about families and saw the importance of having places for children to play,” said Janice. Ruby and Isabel are proud of their mum’s achievements, work and professionalism but also talked about her “funny laugh and she made us all giggle.”
The play park is sited in the middle of Ovins Rise which is a 54 home development, 19 of which are HCLT owned or held under shared ownership. The objective of the CLT is to
provide affordable homes for local people, delivered in collaboration with Palace Green Homes, Haddenham Parish Council and Homes England and with the support of East Cambs District Council and the Cambridgeshire and the Peterborough Combined Authority. The Parish Council adopted the play park land and funded the play equipment. The playpark design was developed in consultation with the children of the local Robert Arkenstall Primary School.
Among the gathering of people at the opening were parish councillors, HCLT Trustees, friends and family of Rachel and residents of Ovins Rise. HCLT tenant Rebecca Fox said “I
was going through a lot of difficult stuff at the time and Rachel helped me massively when I was moving in. It’s great we have named the park after her.”
The last word goes to the children who benefit from this Parish Council asset “It’s fab having this on our doorstep, we play there all the time,” says Ruth Asanga aged 9.
Press release from Haddenham Parish Council
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