A new state-of-the-art playground in Lancaster has been officially opened by a group of local children.
The brand-new Fairfield Playground features three slides, a ‘you and me’ swing and an accessible roundabout.
Sustainable wood has been used in its construction and trees, flowers and even local White Park cattle feature in the design.
The new play area came about through a joint project between Lancaster City Council and the Fairfield Association, a local charity set up to protect green spaces.
“I’m so pleased to see children finally getting to enjoy the new playground," said Andrew Brennand, trustee.
“It’s been a real community effort and it’s been great to see a new generation of parents and young people getting involved to raise money.
“It wouldn’t have been possible without a number of key supporters – including the Lancashire Environmental Fund and Lancaster City Council.”
Councillor Joanne Ainscough, cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services at Lancaster City Council, said: “The council would like to say a huge congratulations to the Fairfield Association for all their hard work in creating an amazing playground and to all the volunteers who have worked hard to make this a reality.
“We have been supporting the group throughout the external funding process and our playground team have refurbished the playground with labour in kind.
“We maintain and inspect 109 parks in the district, spending around £80k per year, and we are thankful to all of the Friends and volunteer groups who help us to keep our parks and open spaces vibrant places to enjoy.”
The opening of the play area took place at the annual Fairfield Festival on Saturday July 13, where event-goers were treated to pizza, music and dancing.
Community Pizza Events provided authentic, woodfired pizzas and More Music ran their much-loved Walking Down the Street Gamelan workshop.
There was also a full roster of live music as well as a barbeque, an ice-cream stall and a fully-licensed bar.
The Fairfield Association (charity no 1058030) was founded in 1996 with the object of preserving, enhancing and maintaining green spaces for the benefit of the public.
The charity is entirely volunteer-run and looks after the Fairfield Playground, the Community Orchard, the Fairfield Nature Reserve and the Aldcliffe Road Triangle.
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