CHILDREN have been celebrating the official opening of a new £77,000 play park that they helped design.

Just a year ago villagers at Steeple Aston decided the well-used children’s Millennium Park in Fir Lane, was in need of a lot of tender loving care, so they set about applying for grants.

Meanwhile, the children themselves were asked to come up with ideas of what they wanted their park to look like.

And last Friday, 12 months later, children from Frank Wise School, a special needs school in Banbury, and pupils from Dr Radcliffe’s School in the village, were first to test out the new kit.

The park is more than twice the size it was, has been built among mature trees and includes a zip wire, tree house, monkey wires and a tunnel, and is designed to take users out of their comfort zone.

Richard Preston, a member of the working party, said: “The old park was very good and was built in 1993.

“It was a conventional park with multi-play swings, slide and a seesaw. It was well used and well cared for.

“But it was made of timber and starting to show signs of deterioration.

“The new play area is considered a play experience and has been built around and in the trees.

“It’s what I remember as play when I was a kid with an element of risk in climbing trees and things — they’ve all got safety surfaces.

“The kids were instrumental in the design and those kids will look after it because they’ve got a sense of ownership.”

Mr Preston said up to 100 children had been counted in the park at one time. He said the equipment was designed for children of all abilities.

Mr Preston added: “For me one of the most gratifying things was seeing pupils from Frank Wise School using the equipment — it’s fully inclusive play — you should have seen their faces.”

Five of the children involved in the project cut the ribbon to officially open the play area.

Some of the cash was also used to improve pathways, install bollards and line marking around the village hall.

The majority of the work was paid for thanks to The Play Builder Fund and Aiming High Fund, via Oxfordshire County Council, which contributed £55,000 towards the project.

Other grants came from Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment, Cherwell District Council and Steeple Aston Parish Council, which look after the park.