CHILDREN in Mutford will be enjoying some snazzy new play equipment this summer thanks to the hard work of some enterprising villagers.Heather Gammon and Peter Bush, who both live in Mutford, spearheaded the project to replace an aging playground at the back of the village hall.

CHILDREN in Mutford will be enjoying some snazzy new play equipment this summer thanks to the hard work of some enterprising villagers.

Heather Gammon and Peter Bush, who both live in Mutford, spearheaded the project to replace an aging playground at the back of the village hall.

It has cost �25,000, funds from eight grants painstakingly acquired by Mrs Gammon.

Mr Bush, who is vice-chairman of the village hall committee, and Mrs Gammon, a mother of two in the village, decided to spruce up the play area after the old swings became too dangerous for the children to play on.

'Everything was quite dull and the swings were the only things worth playing on,' she explained. 'And then they broke! There are quite a lot of children in Mutford and it's nice to have this here. It's really going to make a difference.'

They formed a committee in November 2008, which also included villagers Marie Blowers and Kerstin Ward, and began talking to local children to gauge what sort of equipment they would like.

In July last year they held a fete at the village hall to gain more feedback, and then held a Halloween party a few months later where children could pick from a selection of play equipment.

Work is now almost complete on the new playground, which will officially be opened on April 17, with a Mad Hatters' tea party.

Mrs Gammon and Mr Bush think that around 200 children will use the play area over the course of a month, as youngsters from the surrounding villages will also use it. The nearest play area is in Barnby, which can only be accessed from Mutford over the busy A146.

'It's healthy for the children to be able to get out and have a facility to go to,' said Mrs Gammon. 'They can ride their bikes to it. It will get them outdoors and also socialise more within the village.'

She said that her two young girls, Georgina, 4, and Isabelle, 6, were excited about using the new equipment. 'I haven't brought them down here because they'll go mad!' she said.

The biggest grant for the play equipment came from the Big Lottery Fund, which donated �10,000. Other contributors were the Geoffrey Watling Charity, the Suffolk Environment Trust, Waveney District Council, and Suffolk County Council.