A £140,000 investment has seen a new children’s play area open in Low Bentham.

Bentham Town Council had a six-year struggle to deliver a new park for local children, with the first hurdle being to acquire land from North Yorkshire County Council following the closure of Low Bentham Primary School.

“This is a story of perseverance paying off,” said Bentham Town Council clerk Jo Burton. “We had a play area previously but it wasn’t terribly suitable.

“We’ve spent £140,000 on new equipment: there’s a toddler area, a zip wire, climbing frames and various things.

“It’s already getting a lot of use and with the school holidays coming up it should get even busier.”

The play area has been named the Philip Harvey Playing Field after the generous donation of land for a park by Philip Harvey around 70 years ago.