A TOWN'S play parks are to be given a new lease of life.

Bridport Town Council has teamed up with BYPAT (Bridport Young Persons Action Trust), the charity which saw the creation of the award-winning West Bay Play Area, and will continue to work in partnership on a rolling programme to revitalise all of Bridport's recreational facilities over the next 10 years.

Following a consultation period with families who use the St Mary’s play area, work is scheduled to begin soon with the installation of new equipment, including a pirate climbing tower, a rope swing, a roundabout that can also be enjoyed by wheelchair users and a range of sensory installations similar to those at West Bay.

Pathways will be made more accessible and there will be additional seating, together with a picnic area and more bins behind a windbreak.

Some existing equipment, such as the popular slide, will be retained and repainted, and there are plans to involve children in designing a new mural for the storage building in the play park with local artist Jemma Thompson.

Sarah Smith, parent representative on the St Mary's play area steering group, said: “Families are really looking forward to their new play area, especially since they helped decide what would go in it.”

Once work at the St Mary's play park is complete, the focus will shift to Flaxhayes, with local families again being given the opportunity to decide exactly what they’d like to see in place for their children.

The play area steering group consists of Sarah Smith, town councillors Terry Harrison and Martin and Maggie Ray, town surveyor Daryl Chambers and Arthur Woodgate of BYPAT. Martin and Maggie are also Trustees for the Charity.

For more information, email DChambers@bridport-tc.gov.uk or a.c.woodgate@btinternet.com