This year's Playing Out event saw families from across Penhill congregate in Alton Close to play games freely and safely in the street.

The Penhill Street Reps closed the road yesterday to allow roughly 50 local children to take part in a activities without worrying about cars.

Nick Brock, Swindon Borough Council housing participation officer who runs the Penhill Street Reps, said: "It's been a really good afternoon so far.

"It's great to have events like this that gets the kids out and about during the holidays, and gives them some exercise and a chance to play these games."

The annual event was part of a nation-wide initiative called Playing Out which first started in Bristol.

It sees neighbours close a street to through traffic for a couple of hours to create a safe space for children to play in.

Di Pithers, one of the Penhill Street Reps added: "There's not a lot to do here in the summer for the kids who live around here, so this is another free event for them to enjoy."

A range of toys and games have been donated by Aldi over the years for the children to play with including a badminton set, swingball, and a croquet set. There were also giant dominoes, twister and snakes and ladders, alongside skipping ropes and chalk for drawing on the roads.

Di added: "Some of the toys we have here today, a lot of the children here wouldn't normally have access too.

"Not all of them know how to play with some of them.

"So it's nice to have an event where we can teach them, and where children of all different ages and different schools in the area can come together and play with each other."

The Junior Reps were also involved in marshalling the event and ensuring all children remained safe in the area.

Chris Jacobs, one of Junior Reps for Penhill said: "Playing Out is a brilliant idea. It gets the community together, and allows the kid to meet other children they wouldn't normally, in a safe environment."

Local mum Sophie Wheatley who lives in Penhill came along after seeing an advert for the event on Facebook.

"I thought it would be a nice thing to get the kids out of the house and give them some fresh air, she said. "It's been a lovely afternoon. I think these kind of events are brilliant for the community, and definitely something we need," she added.

"We've not long moved to Penhill," said Michelle Maddocks, a mum of two. "So this is a nice way for the kids to get to know some other children in the area."