A POPULAR new playpark in Selkirk is amongst the best in the country, according to an expert panel of judges.

The £330,000 Pringle Park Playpark opened last summer following years of negotiations and fundraising by a group of mums in the town.

Margaret Sweetnam along with Alison Cullen, Kerry Gentleman and Sheila Cochrane baked, walked, sold and campaigned in an effort to give their town the playpark it deserves.

And hundreds of local families got behind them.

As well as attracting major funding streams, they also obtained planning permission for the ambitious equipment and secured a 10-year lease on the land from the town’s Common Good.

They have already been rewarded with the fabulous feedback from children and parents.

At the weekend their efforts were recognised yet again when they scooped the prestigious Nancy Ovens Award at a ceremony near Dumfries.

Mrs Cochrane from the Selkirk Playpark Project collected the award. She told us: "We received their main award for a play area that demonstrates the best community involvement.

"They were very impressed with the park and the fact that we have stayed with it over the years and that we are maintaining it, doing our inspections and taking on insurance with the help and funding of everyone."

Nancy Ovens MBE made a very distinctive contribution to many individuals and organisations working with children and young people across Scotland, the UK and Europe.

Through her devotion to improving the provision for children, she became convinced that the loss of play opportunities was significantly damaging children´s physical, emotional and creative development.

She set up the National Centre for Play under the auspices of Moray House and sought to address the need to improve the status and provision of children's play.

Around 30 playparks from across Scotland, including the Bannerfield Playpark which is also in Selkirk, were nominated for the four awards.

The Selkirk Playpark Project received a framed certificate and a plaque which will be placed at the Pringle Park.