PLANS to create a £35,000 play area to help the recovery of sick children at the Alexandra Hospital have hit a stumbling block after a plea to the National Lottery was refused.

The League of Friends had been raising funds for the playground for several months and had only asked the lottery for about £8-10,000.

But members were left angry and disappointed last week after they were told they had been unsuccessful in their small bid, having already raised £20,000 towards the project.

And the scheme has now been delayed despite hopes it would be up and running by the end of this month.

A league spokesman said: "They came back to us and said because we had been successful in raising funds for other appeals, they did not see any reason why we couldn't do so again.

"We are obviously very upset about it. The lottery agreed to give £39 million to the Dome but wouldn't give us the small amount we were asking for. It's a huge blow.

"And they also said because the playground was going to be in the hospital grounds, they could not give us the money."

The playground will be specifically for the use of patients in the Kingfisher Suite and their visitors.

All of the equipment will be therapeutic to help children get better and the area will also include equipment for wheelchairbound youngsters.

League chairman Pat Hadley said: "We are still going ahead and trying to raise the money.

"It will take a little longer but we hope everybody will pull together and help us."

She added: "We are very disappointed because we were hoping to get the grant but we are still going forward and we are even more determined to raise the money now."