Fundraising for a soft play area at an Ilkley church has almost reached the £90,000 mark, with more events planned in the months to come.

About 40 per cent of the fundraising target has been reached for Dan’s Den, the indoor permanent soft play area planned at Christchurch, The Grove.

Mum Felicity Tomblin is to tackle the Great North Swim in June to raise money for Dan’s Den.

A novice swimmer and mother of three young boys, she is already in training for the challenge.

“Having children is amazing, however it can also be very isolating and expensive,” she said.

“I’m really looking forward to Dan’s Den opening as it will provide me and other local parents and carers with young children a safe, welcoming environment where they can burn off some beans which won’t involve getting in a car or on a train.”

John Giles, who designed the wall mural in the library, is taking commissions for hand-painted original children’s artwork with all profits going towards the venture. Contact him at johngilesart @gmail.com for details.

Member of the Dan’s Den team, Sue Staton, said: “This has really fired up the imagination of the Ilkley community and everyone is keen to see Dan’s Den open. We’ve had all sorts of inventive ideas for fundraising, and we’re really happy that the project is proving so popular.”

Other developments include the unveiling of the new logo, designed by Little Door Creative Services in Ilkley, and produced in conjunction with local families with young children, children at a local primary school and voted for by members and visitors to Christchurch.

Dan’s Den will offer play opportunities for all families in Ilkley and beyond, and discussions are well under way with the LS29 Group, the primary beneficiary of the Ilkley Carnival 2014 Fund, to ensure that the indoor facility will also be fully accessible and fun for children with particular special needs and disabilities.

Contact Christine Henney, Dan’s Den Project Manager, at christine. kaicheri@gmail.com to donate money to the swim, or contribute any other funding suggestions.