CHILDREN in Stawley, near Wellington, will be able to play safely after school, at weekends and in the holidays thanks to a grant from Taunton Deane Council.

The council awarded the primary school's governors £5,000 towards the costs of making the school playground accessible outside of school hours, making it the first project of its kind in the district.

A council spokesperson said: “The hope is that more schools in rural areas will follow Stawley's pioneering lead.

“Both the school and the council shared the view that it made sense to open up the playground throughout the year rather than restrict it to school hours only, leaving youngsters with nowhere to play in peace in the evenings, at weekends and in the holidays.”

Head teacher Lindsay Gabriel said: “We are all delighted with our new play area. The whole school had a say in things they would most like including in the design, and the School Council were instrumental in getting quotes in, and making sure we obtained best value for money.

“In addition to our grant from Taunton Deane Council we are indebted to our local councillor, Caroline Smeaton, who awarded us a grant of £5,000 from her local initiatives budget.”

Taunton Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Mark Formosa was invited to the opening by the school.

He said: “Children from the local community now have somewhere safe to go and play, while from a local authority point of view it is providing maximum community support for the funding which has gone into it.”