Stratford Park to bring motorsport, equestrian and other events to town

Local iwi, WITT, Stratford District Council, Stratford High School and the Stratford Park team at the park. Photo/ Supplied

A community-focused project is set to bring motorsport, equestrian and other events to Stratford.

Donna Yeats says the Stratford Park project is moving along nicely.

"In the last 18 months we formulated our governance so we have a clear understanding of who is in charge moving forward."

The Stratford Park project was originally a project by the Stratford A&P Association but now it is governed by two bodies, the Stratford A&P Association and the Taranaki Motorsport Facility Charitable Trust.

Now the governance has been decided, Donna says they can move on with involving the community in the project.

"We want our community to be part of this exciting project and to find out what they want. We've talked with our local iwi as it is essential they're involved."

The project has four main focuses: motorsport, equestrian, A&P and community and environment.

"It's important for us to do this project as sustainability as possible."

She says they have been in discussion with various groups to talk about potential ideas for the project.

"We have talked to WITT about setting up a facility, and we've talked to Stratford High School about bringing students to the park to earn credits. We have a lot of potential ideas to bring educational opportunities to the park."

Donna says it's exciting to think about the possibilities for the community.

"It's a really positive space and we want people to get excited about the possibilities. We are planning to update the community very shortly. We want them involved with this exciting project."

She says without the help of volunteers, funders, and those involved, this project wouldn't be possible.

"We're so appreciative of the people who have donated their time to get his up and running. We've all done our bit to fund the project. The motorsport team is currently raising funds to purchase the final piece of land for the project. It's a long road but we've made a lot of progress."