PUPILS at Bude Infants School are enjoying playtime even more thanks to new equipment.

The new playground items include a climbing frame called ‘Captain Tozer’ after Len Tozer, who was on the school’s governing body for 17 years and was its chair for many years.

There is also a pirate ship called ‘SS Blanchminster’ after the Blanchminster Trust. It has disabled access, monkey bars, a scramble net, a jungle traverse and a three-way balls shooter.

The area took three and a half years to plan and build. Blanchminster Trust contributed £24,000 and the Friends of Bude Infant School raised £11,000.

The pupils love the new facility. Emily Smart said it was ‘the best thing ever’, Alessa Salmon loves the monkey bars because ‘I can go upside down on them’, and Lewis White said: “I think it’s great! I love the big, big slide because I can go down it and fall off the end and you can’t slip over on the bouncy tarmac.”

Headteacher Sally Gordon said: “We appreciate we are very, very lucky to have this fantastic playground and it couldn’t have happened without lots of hard work and dedication from everyone associated with the school. Special thanks to Natalie Bennett and Penny Carrington for putting the Trust grant application together.

“This is a great way to encourage the children to be active at playtime and I am sure that hundreds of children will benefit from it for years to come.”