Newly refurbished multi-use games area is a slam dunk with local community

A multi-use games area (MUGA) on the Byker Estate has received much needed investment thanks to the Karbon Homes social value programme. 

The MUGA which had become a disused space, needed a full refurbishment for the surrounding community to be able to use it. 

The investment team based on the Byker Estate have secured just over £12,000 of Unlocking Social Value Programme funding, which matches the social value commitments of our contractors and suppliers with community projects across the region.    

The funding has been used to fully repaint the MUGA, resurface the floors with the addition of games and hopscotch, new basketball hoops have been installed, and benches have been added to give users a space to relax.  

The MUGA opened on Wednesday 9 September with an afternoon of activities and games, and a basketball session ran by the Newcastle Eagles Foundation. 

Prizes were also given out for participants including two tickets to a Newcastle United match, thanks to Strategic Partner Newcastle United Foundation. Funding was also used to give sports equipment to the community to encourage them to regularly use the new MUGA area.  

Jess Alexander, Social Value Lead at Karbon Homes said: “Investing in our pre-existing communities is very important to Karbon and the MUGA was a perfect opportunity to bring a space back in to use. By investing in this we’ve been able to provide young people and adults a much-needed area to play sports safely in their community for years to come.”