RESIDENTS aiming to raise £135,000 for two new play areas on a Witney estate are within £10,000 of their target.

Activate:Madley Park, a group set up by people who live on the estate, has been fundraising for the new facilities through a variety of events over the last few years.

The next fundraiser will see a pop-up pub spring up at Madley Park Community Hall on Saturday, March 30.

A range of cocktails and a DJ will feature at the event, which follows a successful gin tasting evening in December.

That event added more than £1,000 to the total and Activate:Madley Park hopes the pop-up pub is similarly successful.

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The group said it is 'very likely' that the new play areas will be in place by the end of the year, but has appealed to fellow Witney residents to help them reach the magic £135,000 mark.

The estate is in the north east of the town and home to about 3,500 people.

Fundraising began when residents identified a lack of provision for older children and teenagers on the estate.

Madley Park has a higher-than-average number of young people, and homeowners felt they needed somewhere to go.

Donations from Cottsway Housing Association, the Doris Field Trust and charity Bartlett Taylor have helped push the project nearer to its goal.

Grants from Witney Town Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council have also added to the total.

Since identifying the need for the play areas, residents have sought creative ways to raise funds, taking part in activities including boot camps, mud runs and an Easter egg hunt.

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In November, the group organised a scooter and skateboarding skills workshop for more than 50 children of all ages.

The tricks masterclass was held in anticipation of the new skate facilities that will feature in the play areas.

Tickets for the pop-up pub night are available for just £5 from The Hair Forum on Madley Park.

You can also buy them from the Activate:MadleyPark team at @ActivateMadley on social media or activatemadley@gmail.com.