A RARE ray of sunshine broke through the cuts gloom yesterday when children in Barton were told an £800,000 play project for the Oxford estate will go ahead.

And another 11 play area projects around the county, including one in Appleton, will each get grants of £47,000.

The money for Play Barton, an indoor and outdoor play area was released by the Department of Education.

In July, the £862,000 final tranche of a £2.5m investment in county play areas was put on hold as the Government sought savings.

Barton project trustee Van Coulter said: “We will make the best use of this money for the children of Barton.”

Appleton with Eaton Playground committee chairman Natalie Crawford said: “This means everything to children in the village. They have nowhere to go at the moment. Losing the funding would have been devastating.”

Project member and mother-of-three Becky Bradbrook said: “This means it’s good to go in phase one. We should have something built and ready this time next year.”

The £2.5m Pathfinder Programme is a direct grant from the Government which Oxfordshire County Council secured last year.

  • The other 10 sites that will receive £47,000 grants are: Ark-T Centre (John Bunyan Baptist Church, Cowley, Oxford); St Louis Meadow, Banbury; Blewbury; Carterton; Middle Barton; Hook Norton; Sandfields Road, Oxford; Bury Knowle Park, Oxford; Shipton-under-Wychwood; and South Oxford Adventure Playground (Abingdon Road.