A PROJECT to breathe new life into a village play area has been given a cash boost of almost £26,000.

The Veolia Environmental Trust has awarded the cash to the parish council at Morton-On-Swale, near Northallerton, through the Landfill Communities Fund.

It will help fund their project to install new equipment in play area. The existing pieces are over 20 years old and do not meet modern standards.

The grant is one of 33 awarded by the trust to community and environmental projects in England, with a grant total of over £1m. Since 2003 it has awarded more than£307,000 to 11 projects in North Yorkshire.

The trust is now about to start working with the parish council to finalise the project’s details, including its start date, so that work can begin as soon as possible.

Parish council clerk Vikkie Twibill said: “This park is the central to the community and is the only communal area for over 1,000 people in the village and just beyond. The revitalisation of the play area that this grant will fund will ensure it remains the hub of the community.”