GUILDEN Morden s new playground was officially opened this week. The playground is the fruit of three years of work by the Phoenix group which is based in the village. Representatives from South Cambridgeshire District Council, several local parish c

GUILDEN Morden's new playground was officially opened this week.

The playground is the fruit of three years of work by the Phoenix group which is based in the village.

Representatives from South Cambridgeshire District Council, several local parish councils and many other villagers who have been involved in the project attended the opening ceremony, along with staff and children from the local primary and pre-school.

Afterwards, they retired to the Edward VII pub for a reception and speeches.

Jessica Heavey, from the Phoenix group, said: "Although freezing, the ceremony was well attended.

"The children played on the equipment for a while, while the councillors etc were shown all the equipment and discussed the project. We then had the ribbon cutting - several contributors were given scissors to assist in the official cutting."

The Phoenix group was formed by several mothers in the village who were concerned that decent play facilities were a car journey away. They started a fundraising campaign which has seen them receive financial support from Guilden Morden parish council and the Cambridgeshire Network fund, amongst others.

In February, The Crow reported that the first phase of construction was complete, with the installation of a trim trail funded in part by local school children. Since then many new features, including a zip line, have been added, while the site now has full disabled access.

Rebekah Dolby, chairman of the Phoenix Group, said: "We all wanted improved facilities but none of the committee envisaged being able to install such a fantastic array of equipment.