Springbank Park will soon have a state-of-the-art accessible playground, thanks to Jenny Jones.
The London native and former talk show host has selected the project as the winner of her Hometown Hero contest. In August, Jones announced she would contribute $130,000 toward a project that would benefit her hometown.
On Thursday, she phoned Londoner Shelah Brook to tell her that her idea had been chosen.
Brook, a married mother of five adult children, has lived in London with her husband for 30 years.
The money will come from Jones' foundation.
In a statement on her webpage, Jones says, "This choice for a new playground satisfies many of the criteria I was looking for. I wanted something that could be enjoyed by as many people as possible and something long lasting. This certainly qualifies. I was also influenced by the large number of people who asked for playgrounds in various parks and schools. In fact, more requests came in for new playgrounds than anything else."
Jones says submissions came in from people ranging in age from teens to people in their 90's. She says playgrounds in parks and schools were the most commons submissions, along with help for the homeless, tree planting, community gardens, and splash pads.
She added she has already been in contact with a London planner about the design of the playground and hopes to have it installed in the spring.
