School children in the north east have been given the opportunity to help design a space for children to play in a built up city centre.

Pupils at Hudson Primary School in Sunderland have been working with a team from the city council’s Sports and Leisure department to solve the problem of developing a play area in a busy urban environment.

Last term, pupils spent five afternoons visiting the city’s Herrington County Park and were encouraged to use their skills to think about how they play, where they play and how it could be improved.

The initiative was part of a pioneering project by Sunderland City Council.

Councillor Mel Spedding said: “The pupils have now seen their ideas come together in the plans and are very excited by the whole process.