PUPILS at North Tawton Primary School will be kept occupied during their break times from now on, thanks to the installation of new play equipment in an otherwise empty playground. The new play area — The Trail — was officially opened this month after nearly three years of hard work and fundraising by the Friends of North Tawton School (FONTS). The new adventure area boasts parallel bars, a range of balance beams, suspended swinging ropes, rope bridges, a climbing frame and other features. Head teacher Nick D'Agorne said: 'There was nothing there before, the children had limited facilities for adventure play. 'There is a lot of playground and field space but nothing to expand on the outdoor aspects of the curriculum — now we are meeting the requirements. 'The Trail has brought in the extra element of activity that was needed, because in the winter months in particular they can't use the field and are limited to the playground, and unless they like to play football, they are not getting the amount of exercise required. 'The Trail will help to develop the children's physical dexterity and gross motor control, and enable them to be fitter and more active.' The FONTS committee has been busy fundraising for nearly three years and had a big push towards the cost of the Trail from the recent summer fair, where they collected around £1,500. Funding has also come from a number of grants and South West Water donated £250 towards the cause. Chair of FONTS Holly Barnes said: 'FONTS started raising money for the play area in 2010. Through lots of fundraising events we managed to get the bulk of the money required. 'This was due to the support of the parents and local businesses who donated items for our fairs. We were also generously given £3,000 from various local grants.'