A west Suffolk community’s £26,000 fundraising effort for a new children’s playground has been officially declared open by a village stalwart.

The new play equipment in Beyton, near Bury St Edmunds, had its ribbon cut yesterday by 87-year-old Jack Maydom.

Mr Maydom, a former parish council chairman, has been involved with maintaining the playground for more than 20 years, and has played a key role in the village’s fundraising, which has been backed by the Beyton Village Association and Mid Suffolk District Council.

Having been installed in November, villagers waited until the spring months to officially welcome the equipment, with yesterday’s ceremony coinciding with the village’s Games on the Green as well as the recent boosting of its famous gaggle of geese.

Some of Mr Maydom’s family even travelled over from France to watch him cut the ribbon on the playground he described as “the envy of most villages around here”.

The money paid for a new slide, two more swings and an adventure trail, but the village’s 60-year-old roundabout survived the redesign.

Mr Maydom said a new roundabout would have had to have brakes on it, adding: “We didn’t like that - the parish council is young at heart.”

Current parish council chairman Ian Shipley said he was “delighted” with the new equipment, which he said would offer more things to do for the village’s under sevens.

He added: “The village has talked about replacing its play equipment for the last eight or nine years.

“It was obvious that we needed to replace the aging equipment and I think everyone is delighted with how it’s turned out.”