AFTER 20 years of waiting, Mary Tavy could finally have a brand new, all inclusive, play park — as long as enough funds are raised.

Thanks to the work of a team of trustees from the Mary Tavy Victory Memorial Recreation Ground Trust and volunteers from ‘Play! Mary Tavy’, a brand-new play area could be complete for the children of Mary Tavy and surrounding areas to enjoy by the end of September 2019.

The playground in Mary Tavy had been an important part of the village for 20 years — but now the playground equipment has fallen into disrepair and is unfit for people to use.

Children from Mary Tavy and Brentor School put pen to paper last term to show trustees and volunteers what equipment they would love to see. Junior children completed their own individual drawings while infant pupils brainstormed with their teacher to describe what they would like in the park.

Play! Mary Tavy has been working hard to raise funds to restore the playground — so far they have raised £10,000. The aim is to raise £50,000 in order to create the dream park for the youngsters — and volunteers are hoping people will be able to donate to make this a reality.

Play! Mary Tavy volunteer Jo Bright said: ‘The new park will be on the site of the original play area in the recreation ground. The old play area had to be dismantled as it wasn’t fit for purpose and was over 20 years old.’

The chosen equipment has been selected to provide a good balance of play activities for different ages and abilities to ensure that the park is inclusive for all children locally.

Jo added: ‘We worked with children from Mary Tavy and Brentor School who designed their dream playground and they have come up with these ideas for the children of the village, the surrounding areas. With the growing development at the Recreation Ground, with the allotments and the football team, it seemed sensible to have more community input in that area. It will be nice that it will be used by the whole of the village.

‘The new housing being built will hopefully see more families in the village and a play area would be an asset to the village.’

Long-term Mary Tavy resident Cheryl Downham who looked after a lot of the youngsters around the village, said: ‘This park was built for the community, by the community and let’s hope they can do it again.’

The redesign will also include increased accessibility to the park, which currently has restricted access and uneven ground.

If you wish to donate or view more of the plans by the trust and Play! Mary Tavy, visit its Facebook page Play Mary Tavy.