The children’s charity Barnardo’s officially opened a new play park at Erlestoke Prison this week, which can be used by families visiting a parent in prison.

The aim is to provide families with a space in which to spend time together, helping to reduce the hidden harm suffered by children.

The play park, partly built by prisoners, includes picnic benches, swings, slides, climbing frames and a willow tunnel and is located opposite the visitors’ centre outside the main fence of the jail.

Funded by a range of organisations, it was opened by Barnardo’s chief executive Ann Marie Carrie and prison governor Andy Rogers.

Barnardo’s play rangers will then encourage children to make the most of the new facility, which can also be used by villagers.

Barnardo’s South West has been working at HMP Erlestoke since 2007, when it funded a development worker to look into how the prison engaged with families.

This led to the charity and the prison working together on the visitors’ centre which opened in 2009 to improve the environment for children and encourage more family contact.

Barnardo’s South West assistant director Tim Carter said: “We are not excusing the actions of offenders, but we must do what we can to help the children left behind serving their own hidden sentence. The social stigma is very real and they can suffer from isolation, depression and increased poverty which can have a negative impact on the rest of their lives.”

Governor Rogers said: “These facilities will help support prisoners in maintaining contact with their families, which helps address and reduce their offending behaviour, reduces the likelihood of them reoffending on release and stops future victims of crime being made.”