A tiny green space in Stroud has been transformed into a pocket park - all in time for the first day of the new school year.

Members of Stroud Town Council’s green spaces team have revamped tiny Trinity Pocket Park next to the Trinity Rooms in Field Road into a public space.

The new facility has already won the seal of approval from the children of Bumblebees Playgroup who opened the new area.

“It’s a wonderful resource for us and we spend as much time as we can here with the children,” said playgroup leader Donna Jones. “Some of our children do not have gardens at home, so this is an important area for them.”

The green spaces team have built two raised beds in the park so that the children will be able to plant vegetables in the Spring.

The town council took over the green space in 2009.

Once used as allotments, the park was derelict for many years before volunteers converted it into an open space in 2014.

The green spaces team decided it was a project they would like to do themselves, rather than use contractors.

They wanted to turn it into an area which people could use, and to have it ready for the playgroup when they started in September.

The four-man team installed a wheelchair accessible path, a new seat around the tree and a new safer gate. The work involved moving five tonnes of soil which were recycled as part of the raised beds.

“It was a self-sufficient project and we tried to utilise everything on the site,” said Mike Dando, green spaces manager. “We spoke to the playgroup team to ensure we created something that would be of use to the children.”

Stroud town deputy mayor Margaret Poulton added: “We hope people will make use of this oasis of calm in the centre of our town. Being so close to Stroud Hospital this area is a much-needed pocket of calm.”