Funds to upgrade the park on Recreation Way were made available to Mildenhall Parish Council after it received a six-figure cash sum from the Mildenhall Charity and Fundraising Trust.

Earlier this year, designs for new play equipment on the site – next to the town's bus station – were submitted to the council by two companies, Hags Play Ltd and Kompan Ltd.

After looking at a series of presentations, councillors felt that the design produced by Hags Play Ltd was more in keeping with the current equipment on the park.

Caroline Steggles, chief executive of Mildenhall Parish Council, said: "It was a very close call between the two as both put forward imaginative concepts. With the majority of the existing equipment from Hags, it was decided to go with their plan."

Prior to a decision being made, trustees of the charity visited playgrounds in Thetford and Thurston to view similar equipment as well as asking parents and children in the town what they wanted on the site.

Councillors agreed to buy nine pieces of equipment, including a new multi-play unit, cyclone swing, climbing bridge and step bridge as well as lay a new Tarmac path.

Cllr John Barker said: "This is a major project for children in the town and a very exciting one too."

Work on the project will begin in mid-June and is expected to take around five weeks to complete.

"We will be closing the park entirely while the work is carried out and hope it will be completed by the beginning of the summer holidays," added Mrs Steggles.

The revamp of the play area comes just two months after Forest Heath Council spent £50,000 on a new adventure playground just off College Heath Road.