Neighbours old and new celebrated the end of a massive building project on their estate with music, food and laughter.

Hundreds of people gathered in Rose Hill for a big party marking the end of the area’s £20m regeneration.

The celebration on Friday featured a climbing wall, face painting, glitter tattoo artists and music from brass and swing bands.

Community worker Fran Gardner said more than 300 people went to the event.

She said: “It was fantastic. We had a fantastic mixture of people – both people who had lived on the estate all their lives as well as quite a large proportion of people who had moved here within the past year.

“We had some fantastic comments from people saying this was just the kind of event that we want to bring this diverse community together.

“It was a thank-you to people in Rose Hill.”

The event was organised by Oxford Citizen’s Housing Association (OCHA) with funding from Oxford City Council and housing developer Taylor Wimpey.

And a new bench was unveiled to go in The Oval to mark the completion of the housing scheme, which includes 254 new flats and houses.

The homes, built by Taylor Wimpey, have increased the estate’s population by an estimated five to 10 per cent and have replaced post-war Orlit pre-fabricated homes.

Kalsoom Zafar, from Cranmer Road, Cowley, came to the event as part of the Asian women’s group with her three-year-old daughter Hafsah Iqbal.

The 26-year-old said: “Hafsah really enjoyed it. We had a lovely time.

“She had her face painted and a tattoo on her arm and she really enjoyed the music.

“It was very busy and very, very nice. It is important to have these kind of events.”

Eight-year-old Nadir El-Hosny had fun getting his face painted and trying out the climbing wall.

The Rose Hill Primary School pupil, from Spencer Crescent, Rose Hill, said: “I liked it because of all the activities and I had my face painted like a tiger and a glitter tattoo of a dolphin.

“There were lots of people and they were all having a good time.”