THE sun came out to play as the new Queens Park play area was finally unveiled.

The new play area, which is larger then the old one, is opposite Park Road Lodge and includes a range of equipment including swings, slides and a series of climbing structures for toddlers through to teenagers.

One is accessible for children with special needs, as well as a large sand play zone with timber ship wreck.

The £300,000 cost for the construction of the new facility will be covered by the £5.1 million, which the council received from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2009 for the redevelopment of Queens Park.

work already completed on the park includes the restoration of Dobson Bridge and the dredging and refilling of the lakes.

The Park Road lodge is undergoing an extensive refurbishment and a new community pavilion is being built.

The old lodge will be used as a community hub by organisations including the police, and the new single storey community building will house toilets, flexible meeting spaces and a cafe.

Future work also includes new railings at the park entrances, new entrance gates at Chorley New Road, a new car park, the reinstatement of a decorative Victorian fountain and the creation of a World Garden which will provide a venue for art installations, cultural events and small performances.

Cllr Cliff Morris, leader of Bolton Council said: “We are delighted work has completed on this play area and hope it will be enjoyed by children from all over Bolton.”

The opening of the new play area comes just a week after Town Hall chiefs unveiled a new memorial to those who have been killed on the borough’s roads.

The memorial features a plaque, two benches and a small shrub garden .