More than a quarter of all play areas in the towns of Wigan and Leigh, Lancashire, are set to be revamped over the next two years after the local Play Partnership secured £2m funding.

Legh Street in Golborne has become the first site to benefit from plans to transform a total of 28 play areas as part of the Department for Children, Schools and Families' (DCSF) Play Pathfinder programme, which will also see a new adventure playground built in the borough. Children and families will be given the chance to have their say on what equipment should be installed at each of the sites, which are managed by Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust (WLCT) on behalf of Wigan Council, in a bid to improve local play provision.

WLCT will also be developing a new programme of play-based training for professionals currently working with young people, with a team of dedicated play workers tasked with engaging children in the local area. Phillip Blackwell, WLCT Play Pathfinder project manager, said: "Consultation is the key to the success of these developments. We're going to be asking what young people like and don't like, what their experiences have been and what they want to see in their play areas."

Wigan Council's cabinet champion for children and young people, Sue Loudon, added: "This is the beginning of a two-year programme that will transform play in Wigan borough. It's about getting children active but also learning. Children learn a lot through play by learning to share and building up relationships."