TODAY should see the culmination of four years' hard work and determination from a dedicated band of fundraisers as the finishing touches are added to Addingham's new play park for children. To some it seemed like an unrealistic proposal when mums and other volunteers went to a meeting of Addingham Parish Council to ask for help in kicking off the campaign to raise £45,000 to put play equipment in the Silsden Road Recreation Ground.

Cynics suggested that the fundraising committee's children would be grown up and left home before the money was raised, but members were undaunted. There followed a series of body blows, beginning with the failure or the organisation to gain charitable status. Although the committee had worked hard to get a bid in, it was turned down because it was a one-off and not an ongoing project.

A stall to raise funds at the annual village gala suffered when the event was cancelled because of the foot and mouth outbreak, and a planned re-creation of BBC's Question Time programme intended to take place at the Memorial Hall had to be cancelled because of a lack of interest, despite the support from some well known speakers, including Ilkley MP Ann Cryer.

Then some expected grants were refused at the last minute, leaving a large funding shortfall. Despite all the setbacks the committee of mums, helped by former parish councillor Bill Preston, kept plugging away, applying, this time succesfully, for more grants and coming up with ideas for further money generating activities.

And even when all the money was raised and the work due to begin, there was a last-minute hitch because the chosen location for the play park was objected to by some residents living near the area. But now all the bad news is in the past, the park is ready for use and the committee will no doubt relish the official opening in September. Hundreds of village children will now have the chance to make use of what was an under-utilised area. What seemed an impossible dream has become a reality - a heartening example of the old saying: 'what you lose on the roundabouts you gain on the swings'.