YOUNGSTERS in Upton Snodsbury celebrated having somewhere to play when a children's playground was officially opened.

The opening comes after four years of hard work by village mums and dads who decided to transform a piece of agricultural land into a playground for the benefit of the whole community.

The project started when a group of villagers banded together to form a charity called the Upton Snodsbury Parish Recreational Association.

They then worked to secure a Big Lottery grant of £120,000 last year, gained planning permission and transformed the field into a playground.

One of the charity trustees Celia Young said: "We had a blank canvas.

"We've now got a five-a-side football pitch, a course for playing french boules, a playground, a cycling mound area for kids who want to ride their bikes and a youth shelter."

She added: "The kids are loving it. Everybody is loving it. It's a huge benefit for the community for people of all ages."

Around 200 people visited the playground on Saturday and watched a husky dog display, took part in a football tournament and tug of war and cheered as a shaggy dog officially opened the playground.

Visitors also raised £1,000 in donations which will go towards the playground's upkeep.

Mrs Young, who is a mum-of-three, said it had been amazing to see the playground finally come to fruition and thanked volunteers and contractors HFN and Underwoods for all their hard work and all those who attended the opening.