A sandpit is back in Leechwell Garden near Totnes town centre thanks to some generous donations and a hard working team of volunteers.

The Leechwell Garden Association, which maintains the park with South Hams Council, installed the original open sandpit in 2017.

But since then intrepid toddlers have removed some five tonnes of sand from the sandpit and spread it around the garden, leaving the sandpit bare and depleted.

Much of the sand ended up in the nearby watercourses and blocked the drains, causing floods and a potential hazard to the Heath Way houses below – clearly something had to be done said Leechwell volunteer Shirley Prendergast.

Armed with a £1,000 grant from the Totnes Trust and £550 from Totnes ward councillor, Jo Sweett’s Sustainable Community Locality Fund, the Leechwell Garden Association (LGA) have transformed the sandpit, with the support, hard work and expertise of volunteer parents, led by Phil Licinio with Lee Richards, Ross Adams and Liam Kelly.

The sandpit – called the Sandcastle - has now been topped up with more than two tonnes of new play sand, which was wheelbarrowed into place by volunteer helpers and parents from the nearby Grove School during a torrential downpour.

The Sandcastle now also boasts an attractive fence of untreated larch, a new seat has been added and the much loved Snake Bench has been refurbished.

Shirley thanked everyone involved in the transformation, adding: “The help of local companies Southern Timber and Smart Build Supplies of Torquay with sourcing timber and sand was much appreciated, as was Day Sign’s effort to complete the Sandcastle notice boards just hours before they closed for the last time.

“The new Sandcastle is now a more fun place to play- with fewer blocked drains!

“The sandpit is now a sheltered and comfortable space for toddlers and parents, with plenty of room to sit and play.

“Hopefully, the enclosure will mean that less sand will be lost, resulting in deeper, cleaner sand over a more extended time.

“Perhaps most exciting of all, careful planning means that there is room for a sand table which will make the sandcastle even more fun by encouraging collective play.”

The LGA has launched a fundraising appeal for £500 to build a custom-made new sand table inside the sandpit, where children can play together and where sand can be poured, shaped, sieved and stirred; and where shelves can be built so play things can be stored and put away.

All donations will be gratefully received, said Shirley.

Donations can be made to Leechwell Garden Association, Sort Code 30.98.69, account number 37284860, reference ‘sandtable.’