A FAMILY supported by Ty Hafan marked the start of work on the charity’s new desert-island-themed playground last week.

Jacob Ferriday, 17, and his mum Sally, from Barry, cut the turf on the site overlooking the Bristol Channel in Sully last Friday, March 14.

The entire space will be accessible for wheelchair users and every piece of equipment has been selected with integration in mind.

The state-of-the-art facility will include a race track, wheelchair trampoline, wheelchair see-saw and bespoke lighthouse.

Sally said: “The plans look amazing and I’m sure the children will get so much pleasure from the new facility. We can't wait to see it completed."

Ty Hafan’s chief executive Ray Hurcombe said: “We are delighted to be starting work on this fantastic new playground and it was wonderful to see Jacob and Sally mark the occasion at our turf cutting ceremony.

"We are passionate about providing our families with unique and enriching experiences and this is a fantastic example of Ty Hafan leading the way in children’s palliative care. We could not complete projects like these without the generosity of our supporters and I’d like to thank our corporate sponsors and of course, the public, for their kind support.”

Real Radio Presenter Jason Harrold attended the ceremony along with Johanne Stacey-Davies from Dow Corning. Real Radio’s ‘bring a £1 to work appeal’ contributed £38,000 and Dow Corning donated £22,000 towards the new playground.

J L Harrison Enterprise Fund, Making a Difference Locally Ltd, The Waterloo Foundation, The Freemasons Grand Charity, Barclays Wealth, Mumbles Community Council, Co-operative Employee Benefits and Ortho-clinical Diagnostics also made significant donations towards the project.