A HANDSHAKE marks the happy ending of what started as a disaster. It was two years ago when The Canyon Play Centre, Stevenage, was destroyed in an arson attack. Local children were left with nowhere to play. Particularly devastated by the fire was Ted Ans

A HANDSHAKE marks the happy ending of what started as a disaster.

It was two years ago when The Canyon Play Centre, Stevenage, was destroyed in an arson attack.

Local children were left with nowhere to play. Particularly devastated by the fire was Ted Ansell who has been involved in helping to run the centre for many years.

But he was determined that the facility should rise from the ashes.

The borough council agreed to come up with the money, and Ted was there to shake the hand of mayor Simon Speller as the town's first citizen officially reopened the centre run by the Canyon Play Associa-tion.

The new centre is safer than the old one - it has become the first council building in the town to be awarded a Secured by Design certificate by Hertfordshire Police.

It meets a minimum standard of physical security and has a

layout designed to reduce the opportunity for crime and anti-social behaviour, such as vandalism.