A VILLAGE playpark has undergone an £8,500 revamp thanks to cash from Richmondshire District Council.

Bellerby has become the first Richmondshire community to complete upgrades to its play park thanks to a new district council grant scheme.

Community groups can take advantage of the authority’s £250,000 grant programme to upgrade play parks across the district.

There are 44 parks looked after by town, parish and voluntary groups – and all are eligible for cash support.

A maximum of £10,000 will be awarded for each project approved.

Bellerby received £8,500 to replace the soft play surfaces around the play equipment – a 100 per cent grant.

Richard Jowett, Chair of The Bellerby Educational Foundation Trust responsible for the play area and playing field is delighted with the upgraded facilities.

He said: “We are very grateful and appreciative for the support from Richmondshire District Council so that we could undertake this critical work.

"It has not only significantly improved the safety of the play area but also the visual amenity.

"It is a very worthwhile investment in our local community, particularly for our younger families.”

Alongside the 44 community-run parks, the district council scheme has also allocated £150,000 to go towards the 25 parks it owns and maintains.

Work on these is expected to begin soon.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated North Yorkshire Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054