DROITWICH'S Lido Park play area has reopened after it was devastated by an arson attack last month.

Thanks to Matt Nicol and his colleagues at Nicol & Co Estate Agents in Droitwich Spa the area is back up and running in super quick time after their Just Giving campaign raised more than £16,300 of the £23,000 needed to replace the damaged play equipment.

Costs were further reduced when Droitwich Fire Station staff gave their time for nothing to clear the area to enable the work to start quickly.

The new palace fortress has been put in and a rubber wet pour surface installed.

Additional items in the shape of two picnic benches, a see-saw and van sprinter are all due to be delivered soon – offering children even more choice than before.

Matt Nicol said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone that has donated to the fundraising page including some companies that have made some very significant donations.

"Also, personally I would like to extend my thanks to Lynn Stevens and her colleagues at Wychavon District Council for being instrumental in the turnaround to get the new equipment in situ.

"I hope the children enjoy it for many years to come.”

Lynn Stevens, Parks Officer at Wychavon, said: “I’m so thrilled that we’ve been able to get this area back up and running without eating into the summer holidays too much.

"It’s very distressing to us when any damage is done to the parks we work so hard to develop and maintain, but it’s so gratifying to know that the local residents and businesses value them as much as we do.”

Group Commander, George Marshall added firefighters from Droitwich, having extinguished the fire, were keen to get involved.

"These Firefighters live and work in Droitwich and as such have strong links with the local community," he said.

"Firefighters assisted the clear up following the fire and then the station got together as a whole to organise a charity car wash to raise funds for new equipment.

"It is pleasing to see the park reopen so quickly and this is testament to the hard work and resilience of the local community and everyone involved should feel very proud of their achievement.”