Almost £100,000 has been raised to revamp a Seascale beach front play area.

The target is £150,000, with the hope new equipment can be ordered by the end of the year to allow the play park to be completed by the start of next summer.

A recent fun day, which included a Bake-Off contest, Moky kids, fancy dress and Egremont Brass Band raised just over £2,000. A further £2,116 was raised after a previous fun day committee disbanded and donated their remaining funds.

Lizzie Mawson is chairperson of the Seascale Community Beach Park Project. She said: "The fun day shows just how behind the project the people of Seascale and the wider community are.

"It was so wonderful to see everyone on the beach front having a lovely time with their families. This could be an everyday occurrence if we can improve the facilities for everyone.''

Money has already been donated by Sellafield Ltd, LLWR, Persimmon Community Champions, The John Fisher Foundation and The Whitehaven News Charitable Trust. A large donation of £63,360 has been made by the Copeland Community Fund.

Other groups who have raised cash are Seascale School's Enterprise club, face-painters at summer fairs, the Blengdale Runners and The Seascale Stompers. One of the committee members, Christine Simcock, ran the London Marathon and raised over £3,000.

Lizzie said: "We have also been working with Dianne Richardson, from Balfour Beatty, who has arranged 'in kind' work such as a topographical survey to be done at their expense.

"We are really hoping that more contractors working in the area could come forward to help us in similar ways such as offering the use of diggers, site fencing, concrete, large boulders and logs.

"We are still waiting for a response to many, many emails sent in their direction!''

The fundraising committee is currently selling wristbands to raise funds and a Seascale history-based quiz is organised to coincide with a Seascale School reunion to be held at August 13.

For more information go to seascalebeachparkproject@gmail.com