ITis a playpark with a serious intent - to help improve relationships between asylum seekers and local families.

The pounds -62,000 facility has been built at the foot of a series of multi-storey blocks which are home to a large number of families with young children in the Sandyhills area of Glasgow.

The new point of contact for local children includes swings, slides and padded landing areas, and is linked to 24-hour CCTV cameras.

Beverly Zitha, 30, an asylum seeker from southern Africa, who lives in Sandyhills with her 15-month-old daughter Chantelle, said: "This is an absolutely great idea because there are a lot of kids in this area.

"They have made a lovely job of the playpark. It has made things a lot easier for the parents to have this on their doorstep. We can see what the children are up to so it's very safe. It gives children and parents the chance to come together and meet each other."

Tenant Controlled Housing (TCH), the local housing organisation, and Glasgow Housing Association's neighbourhood renewal team acted on requests from scores of residents for play facilities for their children. Glasgow City Council was involved with the design and delivery of the project, while GHA, Communities Scotland and the council jointly contributed to the cost.

A successful internet cafe, positioned at the bottom of one of the multi-storey flats, has been set up for older children.

Jane Martin, 30, a local resident with two sons aged 14 and seven, said: "It is brilliant that this has now been built. It gives the local children a great chance to mix with the new children from asylum-seeker families.

"All the kids can just get together and play and it also gives parents the chance to meet up for a chat. It's good that parents know that their children are always completely safe.

"Before this, there was nothing really for the kids to do. We had been trying for ages to get a proper play facility and now we have it."

George McGuinness, THC chairman, said the playpark was an example of partnership and community empowerment and demonstrated what could be achieved by various bodies working together.

"This is what TCH is all about: improving the community, not just the bricks and mortar, " he added.

Michael Lennon, GHA chief executive, said the playpark was part of a wider agenda designed to improve the living spaces of people across the city.