Barkston and Syston Parish Council - Home page

South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) has been awarded a total of £3.9 million in funding for projects which will be delivered between 2023 and March 2025. Of this funding, approximately £1,000,000 will be allocated to town and parish councils, parish meetings, chartered trustees, and community groups within South Kesteven through the South Kesteven Prosperity Fund. The fund will finance projects which deliver improvements to community buildings, green spaces, and provide funds for culture, arts, and heritage initiatives within the District. Details, including examples of successful bids can be found at this link.
 
Barkston and Syston Parish Council think we should take this opportunity to seek investment in our facilities, and we seek your ideas and suggestions. To get the ball rolling, some of the ideas we have discussed proposing so far are:
 
1.   Improving parking facilities at the end of West Street to improve access for pedestrians using the footpaths and bridleways around the River Witham stepping stones and other walking areas.
 
2.   Investing in the Barkston and Syston Playing Fields:
 
a.   Expanding the existing childrens’ play area to offer a wider range of play furniture attractive to a wider age group.
 
b.   Improving parking facilities for when the fields are in use for cricket or football.
 
c.   Refurbishing the pavilion – new changing rooms, ablutions, and kitchen; extra storage for furniture and structural improvements.
 
3.   Commemorating the parish’s support to 1st Parachute Division in WW2, some of whose soldiers were billeted in Syston and Barkston before they flew to Arnhem on Operation Market Garden (‘the bridge too far’). 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of this battle and their sacrifice.
 
Your parish council welcomes your thoughts on these ideas, and any extra suggestions that you may have, before 10 December, which will allow us to develop suggestions into proposals that we will submit to SKDC in January 2024. Please send ideas and comments to barkstonandsystonpc@outlook.com or steve.micklewright@hotmail.co.uk