THE Duchess of Beaufort has officially opened a new £60,000 play area in Acton Turville.

Parents and residents established a committee in May last year, after recognising the need for a new facility for children in the village, and raised funds and applied for grants for the play park on Littleton Drew Lane.

And on Saturday (September 6), after 18 months of planning, a ribbon to the park was cut.

Committee member Deborah Haskew said: “We were delighted that the Duchess could do this for us as the Duke and Duchess were early supporters of the project and their donation gave us a great boost right at the beginning to get us started.”

The park has been designed to cater for children of all ages, from toddlers to teenagers, and follows consultation with youngsters and families. It will serve not only children in Acton Turville but youngsters from surrounding villages including Tormarton and Luckington.

Christina Williams, another member of the committee, said her children Erik, 7, and Emma, 5, were ‘beside themselves with excitement’ on Saturday.

“They could not wait to try all the different play equipment,” she added.

“The park is not huge, but serves a large area from surrounding villages who have no facilities of their own and together with the playing field and tennis courts, this new park has the potential to be a proper meeting place after school and at the weekend, the social hub we have all yearned for.”

Fundraising events were held in the village to raise the funds and Acton Turville Parish Council supported the project. Further grants were received from Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust, Cory Environmental Trust in Britain and The Hills Group through the Landfill Communities Fund.

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