A NEW soft play area for children has been officially opened at RAF Brize Norton.

The grand opening on April 14 featured the big reveal of a large two-storey play area, adorned with images of all the aircraft Brize Norton operates.

The event coincided with a coffee morning for families of service personnel.

Kirsty Williams, whose husband serves with 47 Squadron, said: "It looks great. I didn’t expect it to be as big.

"It is much better than I expected and looks like much more fun for the children."

Even before the ribbon was cut by head of establishment, group captain Polly Perkins, some of the children could not resist getting stuck in and climbing all over the new play area.

Flight sergeant Jane Corbin, the driving force behind the project, said: "The soft play area was very basic previously.

"We wanted to make it more attractive to families in order to encourage them to come in.

"It improves the attractiveness of the building and is definitely more welcoming."