The council is investing to improve play areas for children and young people in Stevenage. Earlier this year it opened six new play areas designed with the help of local children. Work starts on two more in Pin Green in July.

As part of the revamp, children and young people were given the exciting opportunity to pick their five favourite pieces of play equipment they wanted for their parks. Suggestions were all collated and the most popular items of play equipment from the children’s ideas were incorporated in the plans.

As well as swings and climbing frames, the first play areas include a zip wire, basketball hoops, climbing wall, rocking boat and a dinosaur domain.

Before the work, 56 per cent of children and young people spoken to by the council rated the play areas as poor or very poor, while after the works 100 per cent rated them as good or very good. Before the investment only 14 per cent of children and young people were visiting their play area every day, but this grew to 29 per cent after the improvement work was completed.

This summer, the council is working with local children again, to design more new play areas which it plans to build in the autumn.