On Friday 16th July Marden Lodge School, Caterham held an open afternoon to celebrate the grand opening of their new adventure playground by local MP Sam Gyimah. The day was attended by school governors, parents and many other members of the community.

Before Mr Gyimah officially cut the tape, pupils entertained guests with a ball skills demonstration by the tennis club, followed by an excellent P.E. demonstration from year one.

Headteacher Georgina Steinthal welcomed everyone to the event and explained how the play area would benefit the pupils' health, whilst providing somewhere for them to have fun.

Sam Gyimah then spoke to the children about the importance of education. During his speech he said: "I think it's great that you have a school council so that you can be involved in projects such as this. I am delighted to be here today so thank you very much for inviting me."

The pupils and guests then joined together in a countdown, at the end of which Sam Gyimah cut the ribbon and declared the play area open.

School governor, Ros Rawling, said: "The new play area was installed as part of our ongoing aim to encourage and enthuse pupils for outdoor activities and support outdoor learning. The new play area is a great development and all the governors were very pleased to see it finally opened."