A MULTI-sports, all-weather play area is due to be officially opened next month.

After months of planning by Lodgeside Community Association the site, off Watery Lane, Darwen, is almost complete.

This is the second piece of good news in a week for youngsters in the town after it was revealed last week that the council had put in a bid for £500,000 to improve Blacksnape playing fields and changing rooms.

The new sports area was given the go-ahead in February. Several letters of complaint against the application were submitted to the council on the grounds it would spoil the look of the field and it was unnecessary development but it was later revealed that some of those had been from fictional addresses.

Organisers from the community association stressed that the development would use only a small part of the field but it would provide children with somewhere to play during wetter months.

The new site is a hard-surface, 26 metre by 15 metre enclosed area suitable for basketball, football, cricket and netball. It will be officially launched during the community association's fourth annual gala, which will take place on Sunday, May 2, between 11am and 7pm.

The association was given £24, 898 to create the play area from Government-funded Living Spaces, which gives cash to improve green spaces.

Community association member Tracy Turnbull, said: "We got a few letters of complaint but when we looked into them and went knocking on doors they turned out to be made up people and addresses. The play area cost £32,000 and we got £24,898 from Living Spaces, who we would like to thank. Now we have managed to raise the rest of the money."

Anyone wanting to run a car boot sale or charity stall on gala day can contact Tracy Turnbull on 01254 701532 or Hilary Corran on 01254 763398.