A NEW zip wire has opened at Aireville Park in Skipton - and it is already proving a great success.

The wire, paid for out of £12,000 from Tesco's Bags of Help scheme and situated close to the car park, is the first step in the ambitious £200,000 development of the play area.

The joint Craven District Council and Friends of Aireville Park project will include a variety of different play areas and nature gardens.

The Friends group has set itself a £100,000 fundraising target, but will also receive money from the council from developers.

“We’re delighted to see the zip wire up and running. This is just the start of a huge project and we’ve got a lot of fundraising to do to reach our target," said Fiona Protheroe, chairman of the Friends of Aireville Park.

“We’re working hard to raise money but we need support from the community too. If there are any individuals, community groups or schools who would like to raise money for us, or businesses who can sponsor us, it would be great to hear from them.”

Bruce Dinsmore, the council's sports development officer, said: “It’s brilliant to see the zip wire installed and so many children using it already. We’re looking forward to working with Friends of Aireville Park on the next steps of this exciting plan.”

The new play area will eventually cover 4,500 square metres, including a climbing net, ropes and beams, sand and water play and natural play spaces. There will be a combination of traditional equipment such as climbing towers, swings, see-saws and roundabouts, alongside wild garden and nature areas.

Friends of Aireville Park have a target to raise £100,000, with the remainder of the funding for the park coming from Craven District Council, from planning gain monies.

Anyone wishing to help Friends of Aireville Park with fundraising for the play area can contact the group by emailing: friendsofairevillepark@gmail.com

To help support the plan by donating, go to localgiving.org/friendsofairevillepark