A CRUMBLING Marlow Bottom play area has received a cash boost as it continues its redevelopment drive.

Members of the Marlow and District Round Table helped raise £150 with a collection bucket door knock in Marlow before Christmas.

And the parent committee – which is in charge of restoring the park – has welcomed the donation which continued the drive towards its £60,000 spring revamp target.

The fundraising hunt has passed the halfway mark and committee member David Lawrence said: “Everything we get is fantastic - £100 can go towards a bench or bin.”

The stretch of land – located behind Burford Primary School – has been in danger of falling into a state of disrepair.

Without essential investment a number of rides have been removed due to vandalism and old age.

But Mr Lawrence also revealed that the committee is in talks with a couple of private companies to secure “match funding” and hit the development target.

Talks have reached an advanced stage with Veolia and Biffa and Mr Lawrence explained: “It’s in the hands of the gods. We can only hope it will come off.

“It’s taken us 10 years to get there - we have been asked to submit an application.

“A lot of the equipment is close to the end of its life and it won’t pass safety inspections.”

And round table community officer Dominic Barnes paid tribute to the committee’s efforts over recent years to improve the play area.

“A refurbished park is desperately needed in this part of Marlow and the committee has shown they are prepared to give up their spare time to help the wider community,” he said.

“We would like to thank everyone who put their spare change into our collection buckets.”

The Friends of Burford and Marlow Bottom Pre-School Playgroup also received £150 each thanks to the round table’s fundraising drive.