WORK to revamp Ilminster's Winterhay lane play area is now well underway.

Phase one of the project, to remove the old equipment and install new swings, is complete with phase two set to start later this month.

The second part of the project will see construction of a mound, which will become the site for a slide, and moving the football posts.

Councillor Sophie Storey, who chairs the Play and Paths Group, said: β€œIt has been really brilliant to see the diversity of people using the new basket swing.

"I popped into the park several times over the half term to gauge reaction and saw different people on it each time from groups of children to a young family where the Mum was swinging with her newborn whilst Dad chased a toddler all over the park - it really made my day.”

The initial consultation with local people was undertaken by members of the Youth Council in 2013 and the final design incorporates ideas raised at that time – including keeping the football posts, having an additional picnic bench and new swings.

Attending the opening of the new swing were Riley Woodard, Archie Davis and Georgia Western, who assisted with the initial consultation by the youth council.

The refurbishment will be complete when the slide is installed, but the town council have said the timescale for that is uncertain as the new mound has to settle before the slide can be positioned against it.

The Winterhay project has been a pilot for the much larger project to revamp the Wharf Lane Rec play area.

Members of the Play and Paths Group have been grappling with providing exciting but realistic play opportunities and managing public expectations.

For more information on Ilminster Town Council, visit www.ilminster.gov.uk.