Coalville Park's new revamped play area has been open for a week - and the town's public have been giving positive feedback.

Thanks to local volunteer group, The Friends of Coalville Park, the play area recently went through a major transformation and residents have been testing out the new equipment.

A toddler area, balance trail, swings, zip line and a wheelchair accessible roundabout for children with disabilities are among the new equipment.

An information board about the history of the park has also been installed and a strong mining theme features throughout the new design.

The Friends of Coalville Park group, which is behind the redesign, worked with North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) and Veolia to fund the £73,000 project.

Comments from users include:

• "This is the first time we've been in a while and it looks really good. Normally we go to Loughborough for a good park, so it's nice to have something more local."

• "We took our son to the park on Thursday and had a wonderful time. We enjoyed the new equipment and as he is a train fan he had a lot of pleasure playing on the new train."

• "This looks absolutely incredible. Lucky children."

Staff and pupils from Broom Leys Primary School also played a key role in the renovation, with ideas and suggestions for the new equipment.

In 2020, a public consultation was carried out to highlight key needs from residents to make sure inclusive items for all abilities were included.

Sandra Ramp, Treasurer of The Friends of Coalville Park, said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to see all the hard work pay off and the new play area finished and already being used by local children.

"The design has come out really well and it's lovely to see all the little mining themed touches being added. I hope it brings much enjoyment to families for years to come."

You can see a short video interview with Sandra above.

Councillor Andrew Woodman, Portfolio Holder for Community Services at NWLDC, said: "It's great to see the efforts that The Friends of Coalville Park have put into the park finally come to fruition and local people enjoying the new equipment.

"The old play area looked tired, and the equipment was out of date and needed modernising.

"A huge thanks to Sandra and the rest of The Friends of Coalville Park for driving these changes to the play area and bringing it up to the standards of the rest of the park."