It was delivered on time and on budget, with a baying crowd of excited youngsters eager to put its shiny new equipment through its paces.

But when it came to the final countdown, the mayor of Farnham just couldn’t make the cut at the grand opening of Gostrey Meadow’s amazing new playground.

“You know, people think this mayor thing is dead easy,” joked Cllr George Murray after a scissor malfunction at the big launch on Friday.

“It takes years of training and you’ve got to do a special course,” he added, before cutting the ribbon and giving way to a rush of eager children.

Months of feedback, design and construction came to a glorious conclusion last week when the six-figure project to create a “destination” playground in the heart of Farnham was realised. Led by Farnham Town Council and constructed by Godalming contractors, Eibe, the final design was the result of a public vote and boasts everything from a swings and seesaw to a mill climbing tower inspired by our Weyside heritage.

“The playground represents so much of what Farnham stands for,” said Cllr Murray, adding: “This blend of history and play is one of the things that makes the space so special.”

The capacity of the new playground is more than double its predecessor with David Hibberd, creative director at Eibe, expressing delight at the success of their key project.

He said: “It’s making a good playground into a destination playground – we want to get children excited and get them outside more and for longer.

“What it’s all about it is the grand opening and the kids rushing in, that excitement of something new.”

Councillors Michaela Martin and Andy Macleod both gave funds from their Surrey County Council pots to the scheme and the Farnham Lions have also been involved in the project since the beginning.

The second phase will see the Borelli Shelter area turned into a “Lions Den” with new toilets and a water play area also in the pipeline.

“It’s brilliant to see it come to fruition and the special thing for us is the inclusivity, as it will appeal to a much wider group,” said president, Simon Moran-Smith.

The grand opening was “much more than a ribbon cutting” with further highlights including a circus skills workshop by Super Simon and subsidised ice cream and coffee by Eibe. But the chance to be among the first to use the new playground was too strong for most children.

“I love it because its tall and I really like the monkey bars,” said six-year-old Florence Jackman from Badshot Lea, while Heather Chapman called it “wonderful”.

“It’s really great because they’ve got something for all ages as they’ve got bits for little ones along with more challenging pieces,” said Heather, while her daughter called it “really good” with the maypole swing being her favourite.

Hale parent, Victoria Mills, summed it up perfectly: “I picked this design in the consultation – it really suits Farnham and it really suits this place.”