CHIPPENHAM MP Michelle Donelan has officially opened the Broughton Gifford play park at Curtis Orchard.

She was joined by Wiltshire Council's local ward member, Cllr Phil Alford, and villagers, to celebrate the opening of the new £54,000 facility.

Parish council chairman Mark Sullivan said: “We'd like to thank all those villagers and parish councillors who had put the grant application and plans together to a very tight deadline of four weeks, and have made the project such a success."

The play park was opened on Saturday June 29following weeks of work and has been kitted out with jigsaw towers, a linear climbing frame, a climbing wall and wetpour rubber surfacing.

It was partly funded by a £25,500 grant from the Government's Pocket Parks Plus programme, which was matched by funding from the village itself.

The local Gardening Club and residents planted flowers and shrubs to make the area more attractive.

Parish clerk Georgina Berry said: "The fantastic new equipment and safe surface replaces an existing playground, which was decades old and had been closed for safety reasons.

"Broughton Gifford Parish Council recently took ownership of the play park from Wiltshire Council, and will be managing it from now on.

"In a village with many young families, the new park was much needed, and is certain to be popular. "