A building project to give youngsters in Alresford some much-improved playground facilities is almost complete, say the town's civic chiefs.

The £23,000 scheme for the park next to Grange Road is set to double the amount of playing space available for the town's youngsters and will offer them a safe climbing area. The scheme has been built with safety specifically in mind featuring fenced off areas and soft-fall flooring. Building work is due to be finished by the end of this week, with an opening ceremony attended by the Mayor of Winchester, Cllr Neil Baxter, and the Mayor of Bricquebec, which is Alresford's twin town in Normandy near Cherbourg.

Yesterday, as building work began drawing to a close, Alresford Town Council's chairman of recreation Cllr Robin Atkins, said: "This is an important scheme for youngsters in Alresford, and we are delighted that work on it is almost complete so that children can start enjoying it, as it was designed for."