CELEBRATIONS have taken place as a new multi-use games area (MUGA) opens at Ennerdale Bridge.

Copeland MP Jamie Reed joined youngsters to formally open the area at a ceremony on Friday (July 1).

The new facility will "offer opportunities for tennis, netball, basketball, and a safe area to practice a variety of sporting skills," says Chris Ayling, of the Ennerdale Community Recreation Area Group.

He added: "We look forward to the parish not only using the sporting facilities of the park, but also enjoying the space as a place to sit and admire the superb views of the valley."

Work on the MUGA has been completed by Barton Grange Landscapes.

Donations have been pledged by WREN, United Utilities (working through Groundwork Trust), Copeland Community Fund, Tesco Community, The Hadfield Trust and local contributions.

The provision of the village's play facilities has been managed for a number of years by the Ennerdale Community Recreation Area Group (ECRAG).

The group was founded as a charity in 1998 by villagers who wanted to provide recreational facilities for the children living in and around Ennerdale Bridge.

Initially a swing park, called Bridge Park, was built on land owned by the church.

ECRAG, with the assistance of cash from the Village Trust and the Friends of Ennerdale School, then bought a field for use as a recreation ground, with space for play equipment in the long term.

Mr Ayling said: "A substantial grant from WREN six years ago enabled us to landscape this field which had been little more than scrub land, and create out of it a mini-soccer pitch, and a level horizontal green space for a variety of activities."

The MUGA is the final part of the plans for the facilities as the original licence from the church on Bridge Park has expired and the play equipment is no longer safe to insure.

Bridge Park is set to be restored and returned to the church as a quiet garden space.