YOUNG visitors to the play area in Tavistock Meadows will have seen lots of shiny new equipment being installed over the last few weeks.

New equipment installed by the town council works department includes a zip wire, a new toddler area, trampoline, bins, seating and a new shelter.

The revamp of the Meadows came after a group of parents came together, calling themselves the 'Meadows Makeover' team, to fundraise for a zip wire to be installed in the park. The town council also had the Meadows on its work schedule for updating, so the two worked together.

The Meadows Makeover team, which now has a board of ten members, undertook a number of fundraising events over the past year to raise £10,000 for the zip wire.

Alternative funding was sourced by Tavistock Town Council, approximately £27,000, by applying to West Devon Borough Council for Section 106 money from the housing development planned for Callington Road, which enabled the installation of three other pieces of equipment. There was also a TAP fund application by Tavistock Town Council for an extra £4,500 to install percussion instruments.

Tavistock Town Council general manager Wayne Southall said: 'The new toddler area and trampoline have also been funded by the town council for approximately £50,000, as has the new seating, bins and shelter.

'For this phase, works outstanding include some further re-surfacing works to the existing paths, soft landscaping and redecoration of the roundabout and two old swing sets.

'Equipment outstanding for future funding, possibly from Section 106 money, maybe in five years time, is a climbing rock and tower slide, which will cost approximately £90,000.'

Mia Holman and Keri Pierce, the founding members of the Meadows Makeover team, said they were pleased with how the park was looking and were happy to see the area busy with people enjoying the Meadows, even in the evenings.

She said: 'The park is looking really fab. In the last three weeks there has been a lot going in, including a miniature tea-cup in the toddlers' area, an all singing and dancing bin and a great long dragon bench in the middle which overlooks the toddlers' area and the older children's section. The new shelter is great as it means if it starts pouring with rain, you can keep dry.

'Keri Pierce and I started the group on Facebook and we quickly had the backing of a board, but it is the public getting behind us, supporting us and coming to the events that has enabled this.

'The town council has been very supportive of us and has paid for a lot of the equipment. It has been very much a combined, community effort.

'We've been told by several people that there are people visiting the park from Plymouth, Okehampton and Exeter, which is fantastic and a boost to the local economy. Hopefully the park is going to help support the whole town.'