WORK is underway to turn a popular family hotspot in Chester into an environmentally-friendly site.

A revamp of Blacon Adventure Playground – known locally as 'The Venny' – is currently taking place with an aim of making it carbon free.

The site is owned by not-for-profit organisation Avenue Services which is a joint venture between house provider Sanctuary Group and Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Funding for the upgrades, designed by sustainability consultancy Anthesis and installed by Hewer FM, has been provided by Sanctuary.

They include a grid which will generate its own electricity, an air source heat pump and new, energy efficient lighting.

The refurbishment forms part of a wider climate change project which will involve the launch of community initiatives for people of all ages across Blacon.

Paul Knight, head of Avenue Services, said: “With climate change becoming ever more important, we are committed to doing our bit to combat it.

“We are very excited about the educational projects that we will soon be launching – they are set to show people the real impact of climate change and how everyone can play a part in saving our environment.”