YOUNGSTERS have been enjoying a new play area which has opened in York.

Local residents and volunteers have been involved in creating a garden and outdoor space at Foxwood Community Centre and needed funding to resurface the play area with special ‘Wetpour’ tarmac. The project cost just under £3,000 altogether.

Some of the funds for the project were provided as part of a community drive by TalkTalk during the build of its full fibre network expansion project. This will provide ultra-fast full fibre internet to 55,000 homes and businesses across York by 2020 and make it the UK’s first Ultra Fibre Optic (UFO) city.

The other funding came from the centre itself and a grant from City of York Council.

Westfield Ward councillor Andrew Waller, who was at the opening, said: “We are really thrilled with the new playground and that we were able to get it done in time for summer. Local residents and volunteers have been working really hard to create a lovely outdoor space for everyone and this was the final piece of the jigsaw. We would like to thank York’s UFO from TalkTalk for making this possible.”

Helen Fletcher, marketing manager for York’s UFO for TalkTalk, added: “It’s wonderful to see the children playing outside and truly heartening to know that we’re able to support the local community with projects like this as we rollout our Ultra Fibre Optic network across the York”.

York’s UFO team began work in October last year to install the full fibre network all the way from the exchange to the streets in Dringhouses, Woodthorpe, Foxwood and Chapelfields as the start of the second phase of its full fibre rollout across York. Around 9,000 homes in these areas will be able to connect to the York’s UFO network in the coming months.