A HOUSING association has given its commitment to help residents in Moyses Meadow, Okehampton, acquire a play area for their children.
Chief executive of West Devon Homes, Stuart Davies, said this week that the company would support the residents in any way it could to meet their demands.
Moyses Meadow Residents' and Tenants' Association was formed to campaign for a play area and is currently writing to West Devon Borough Council to see what land is available.
Mr Davies said although West Devon Homes did not have wholesale funds to invest in the area it may be able to put some funds towards it.
'We do have a tenants panel where there is an opportunity to award small scale grants for environmental improvements,' he said.
'We will do anything to try and improve the quality of life for all the residents on our estates.'
The chief executive said that 40 to 50 years ago, when the estate was built, the needs of the community were not necessarily the same as they were now.
'It is not the case that someone was at fault — it is just that things have moved on since then and the adults and the children now feel a genuine need to look at some kind of play area. The problem is there is not a huge amount of space available.'
Chairman of the association, Martha McAllen, said the children had really started the campaign after a couple of them wrote to West Devon Homes asking if something could be done about a play area.
'The kids are always playing ball in the road, especially now during the summer holidays,' she said. 'It is an accident waiting to happen.
Mrs McAllen, who is a grandmother, said years ago kids could go off to playgrounds and parks but the world was a much more dangerous place now.
'We want something close to home,' she added. 'We have to keep fighting.'