A REFURBISHED play area has been officially unveiled.

Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Bev Mullaney, cut the ribbon at the reopening of the playground, off Royd House Road, Long Lee, Keighley.

New equipment for the Bradford Council-owned site was selected after district councillors consulted with youngsters through Long Lee Primary School, uniformed organisations and the youth service.

Final choices included a new dish roundabout, basket swing, seesaw and group springie, while existing swings and an obstacle course were repainted.

Also, safety matting was replaced, and stone seating and a picnic bench installed.

Funding was provided as part of a multi-million-pound council capital investment programme for improving the district’s playgrounds and outdoor fitness facilities.

The Lord Mayor was joined at the reopening ceremony by several children and their families, town mayor Cllr Gulfraz Hussain, and current and former councillors.

Mum-of-two Hannah Rayner, who lives near the play area, said: "It is much better than when I was a child. My three-year-old son Alexander likes the slide the best. There’s much more to play on and places to sit. It’s great."

The initiative was welcomed by Cllr Mullaney.

She said: "This has been wonderful for the area and I am proud of the local councillors for their hard work in getting it secured. I am impressed by the partnership work that has made this a success. The children got involved in designing the space and told me they were delighted with the result, and will be playing there regularly. The reopening has been a really lovely event."

Keighley East district councillors Fulzar Ahmed, Lisa Robinson and Caroline Firth said the scheme had been affected by delays, but that the end result was "worth waiting for".

In a joint statement, they said: "This makeover has been a long time coming due to various equipment delivery delays and other factors out of our control, but it’s been worth waiting for.

"When we pass, it is always being used, which is wonderful to see.

"Huge thanks go to Bradford Council’s parks team for making this project happen, to the cleansing team for litter picking before the opening event, and to former councillor Malcolm Slater who was involved in getting the park refurbished and was able to join us at the celebration. We were pleased that the Lord Mayor and town mayor were able to join us too, but most importantly that several young people came along."