Northamptonshire retailer and postmaster Vidur Pandya is midway through a fundraiser to refurbish a long worn-out playground in his village.
Based in Kislingbury, he might have only lived and worked in the village since last year after moving from London, but he says he’s determined to improve life for locals – and has gone quite some way already.
“I’ve just taken over the business and obviously we’re still finding ways to help the community,” he explains. “We do a lot of work with schools, charities and food banks. But when this project came up it was a no brainer, because we can add something for the kids of the future. It’s also a project we can see - it’s less than a five-minute walk.”
The village playground dates from the 1970s, and the cost of refurbishment is expected to clock in at around £120,000 – a daunting figure perhaps, but one Vidur is confident he can reach. “We’ve got collection tins in the store which are doing well, but we’re also selling goody bags of pick and mix, with the proceeds going towards the fund. We’ve raised almost half, so we we’re getting there. If we could have it complete next year that’d be quite good…”
Perhaps that’s an understatement, but you wouldn’t doubt Vidur’s chances of reaching the target. He has already installed a bleed kit at his store, something the community needed. “It’s to promote awareness of blood loss in the area, because obviously we’re a village and the nearest other one is about six miles away. You’re limited in terms of the help you get. Any blood loss is prevented if you use the kit and it’s accessible 24/7,” he explains.
All of the above fits with Vidur’s vision of making Kislingbury more user friendly, and ultimately a better place to live. His store is at the heart of that. Hopefully a new playground can provide further focus. “There’s nothing else round here for kids to do. There’s only one shop which is us, and a pub. The playing field is the only outdoor space for them.
”I have a plan of creating a hub for the community, to help them to socialise and give health services they rely on - but don’t have to leave the village for. If we get more funding, the faster we can get the plans, and all the better for the community.”
To help with Vidur’s fund, you can donate here.
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