SOME 20 months of fundraising came to fruition when Exford villagers celebrated the official opening of a £50,000 project to expanded and revamp a children's play area. The ribbon was cut by the oldest and youngest residents of Exford parish - Hilda Winzer, 89, John Edwards, 87, and April Watts-Little, ten weeks old, with the help of her mother Lizzie. Pupils from Exford First School performed a special dance routine, while there was also food and drink to celebrate the occasion. Dr Brian Martin, who led the project on behalf of Exford Parish Council, said: "The old equipment on the village green had served us well, but some needed to be removed and the rest needed refurbishing. "We wanted to add a variety of new, interesting and stimulating pieces to cover a wider age range and abilities, as the children here are a long way from such facilities." The biggest challenge, however, was to raise enough funds to add new equipment and surfacing. A wide variety of fundraising events soon followed, including a whist drive, lots of bingo, a clay pigeon shoot and an auction of pledges. Dr Martin himself raised money from sponsorship of a trek along the mountainous spine of Corsica. "We also applied to regional and national funding bodies and were thrilled to get £10,000 from the Big Lottery Awards for All scheme, plus significant grants from the Wilfrid and Constance Cave Foundation, the Somerset Community Foundation and the Co-operative Community Fund," Dr Martin said. He said the support of the community had been one of the most rewarding elements of the project, with mums and grandmothers helping the parish council to form a special fundraising committee. "We also had the support of the Exford First School Trust and the Red Deer Nursery. "So many other people also gave their time and machinery to help keep costs down in preparing the ground, painting and tidying. "On top of that, donations were received from individuals and local businesses," said Dr Martin. The parish council contributed six per cent of the overall cost of the project which has seen the introduced of nine new pieces of play equipment. This includes a zip wire, a sports wall and a play ship, as well as a special roundabout and a basket swing which are designed for use by children with disabilities. Dr Martin added: "It's a big thrill for all of us to see all the children using the new facilities. "The feedback has been wonderful. This will benefit not only local families, but also visitors to the village and, therefore, the local businesses. "Thanks to everyone, every business and organisation who helped the parish council achieve this."