THIS week, it will be 40 years since work began to transform a piece of wasteland into a play area.

Green-fingered pupils from Manningtree Secondary School braved the rain to help plant trees near Waldegrave Way, in Lawford.

The parish council wanted to convert the piece of land into a place of “beauty” for parents and youngsters.

Those attending included the headteacher at the time, William Curnow, Lionel Randall and Freda Wilgress who were the chairman and clerk of Lawford Parish Council, and Malcolm Holloway, chairman of Tendring Council’s tree planting and presentation committee.

A report in the Standard said: “Children from the school wielded spades and forks to give a good start to the ash, maple, poplar, hornbeam and alder that should eventually make the area into a landscaped playground.”