FUN and fitness are on the agenda for families living in Tony Blair's backyard, following the creation of a play area and sports pitch.

The Prime Minister officially opened the £200,000 facilities, next to Trimdon Colliery Community Centre, yesterday, just yards from his constituency home Myrobella.

The driving force behind the project was Trimdon Colliery Community Association.

Group chairwoman and Sedgefield Borough Council's mayor, Lucy Hovvels, said the development was the first of two goals for the community.

Residents now plan to replace their rundown wooden community centre with a £500,000 building.

The community association was handed £123,000 by the borough council, from the sale of land elsewhere in the area, towards the project.

The association also worked closely with environmental charity Groundwork East Durham, which secured £50,000 from Barclays Spaces for Sports community sponsorship scheme for the development.

Contractors worked late into the night all week to have the main structures in place in time for Mr Blair's constituency visit, with only a few final touches left to do.

Mr Blair said: "I remember when I first came here over 20 years ago, there really wasn't anything like this at all.

"Now we have got a new play area and plans to build a fabulous community centre.

"It is somewhere safe and properly designed for children to play and keep out of mischief."

The sports pitch has been named the Owen Willoughby Multi-Use Games Area after a late football coach and scout from the village.

Mr Blair said: "It is nice to see particularly those people who remember Owen Willoughby, who was dedicated to sport.

"He would have been so so proud and happy today, it was everything he liked and had striven for."

Mr Willoughby, who died in November 2003 aged 84, ran youth football teams in the Trimdon area for more than 50 years.

His widow, Joan, said: "He would have been so proud to see what he always wanted - a place for local kids to play sports - finally opened."