PRINCETOWN is celebrating a successful play area fundraising campaign by purchasing nearly £30,000 worth of new equipment for the young people of the village.

Over the past seven years, Dartmoor Forest Parish Council has been very successful in raising the funds to redevelop a very dilapidated play area within Princetown, the main settlement within the parish.

Phases one and two have been installed and provide much used and loved play equipment for toddlers and young children in the village. The play area is also often used by the many school parties and visitors to the area.

Over the past 12 months the parish council’s play area group, comprising councillors Gregg Manning, Mark Renders and Wendy Stones, have been actively fundraising for phase three — to install a set of equipment specifically designed to engage and excite an older set of children and young people in the village.

This week, the parish council was able to place an order for almost £30,000 worth of new play equipment after raising the funds from a variety of sources, including Devon County Council’s Invest in Devon Fund, West Devon Borough Council’s Community Project Grant scheme and a donation from the Tavistock Lions Club.

The equipment ordered includes a specially-designed football goal, basketball net, climbing ‘space’ net and ‘pod’ youth shelter.

A spokesperson for the parish council said: ‘The play area group undertook a significant amount of consultation into what the children and young people would like to see in Princetown. This included open days in the community centre, involving the children in the choice of the play equipment and consulting with the older children on the buses to secondary school about what they would like in the village.’

The parish council expressed thanks to everyone who helped towards achieving the amount raised, especially to local county and borough councillors for their guidance and support.

Work is expected to start shortly.