Woodham Walter Parish Council has announced that a new playground facility has opened in the village, after first being considered for the area in 2017.

Around 60 people came to watch Councillor Penny Channer open the playground at Bell Meadow on Saturday (2 October), after which the excited children tested out its facilities.

A spokesperson for the parish council said the playground "represents a major achievement for the community".

They continued: "During the grand opening ceremony, parish councillor and chairman of the playground working party, Councillor Joanna Symons, thanked the many local businesses, organisations, families and individuals who have contributed and supported the project.

"She also thanked those who have provided grants to achieve this major new facility.

"After a countdown, the children ran into the new playground and had a great time playing on all the new equipment."

The parish council formed a working party of volunteers in 2017 to consult on building a new playground in the village.

As part of the consultation process, a village questionnaire was distributed in 2018 which showed strong support for the project.

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Fundraising was then launched at Bell Meadow Day in August 2019, in efforts to raise over £30,000 for the playground.

The amount was successfully raised through a combination of generous donations, fundraising events and successful grant applications.

The project was awarded £10,000 from the National Lottery Awards For All fund, £10,000 from Essex County Council's Community Initiatives Fund, £1,000 from the Essex County Council Locality Fund and £2,500 from Essex Community Foundation.

The playground is built from robinia, a hard wood which is natural in appearance and blends in with the rural setting at Bell Meadow.

The playground can be found at Bell Meadow on The Street in Woodham Walter.