AN exciting new children's play area which features accessible and inclusive equipment has been opened at an outlet shopping centre.

The £60,000 facility at Dalton Park, near Seaham, was officially opened on Friday, August 27 by Durham County Councillors Robert Adcock-Forster and Julie Griffiths, along with Dalton Park’s operations manager Jackie Johnson and Sophie Hardy, placemaking, marketing and communications manager.

The new park has a full suite of exciting and interactive equipment and includes a number of accessible, inclusive features such as an extra wide slide, easy access ramps, and in-ground roundabout suitable for wheelchairs.

Children can also enjoy games and puzzles, musical elements, and role play with a shop counter and captain’s wheel.

Jackie Johnson said: “The new playground looks fantastic and has so much great play potential. We invited our friends from Murton Juniors Club to the official opening so they could be first to properly put the equipment through its paces.

“The new park is an important part of the Dalton Park visitor experience; we strive to make sure there’s something for everyone to enjoy, from our many outlet stores and cafés, to our Pollinator Parks Garden and 55 acres of landscaped Parkland.

"Suitable for children from two to ten, little ones, and big kids, will love the new playground and we look forward to seeing families explore its many features for years to come.”

Cllr Adcock-Forster said: “It’s great to see such significant investment in something that’s fun, and enriching for children following a difficult couple of years navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Not only for those that come to visit Dalton Park, but those from the local community too.”

Cllr Griffiths added: “I think it’s going to be incredibly popular with families from near and far, and it’s safe to say the Murton Juniors Club thoroughly enjoyed being the playground’s inaugural visitors.”

The name of the new play park will be launched in Autumn 2021 as part of an additional community project, encouraging children from across County Durham to use their imaginations and come up with a fitting name and logo for the park.

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