A headteacher, whose ankle injury turned out to be motor neurone disease (MND), has fulfilled a dream to open an £89,000 playground at her former school.
Claire Park had to retire from Hartburn Primary School in Stockton after being told she has MND, a condition which causes muscle weakness, in January 2025.
Her husband Matthew likened the condition to a game of "whack-a-mole", with new health challenges appearing every day, but said the family remained positive.
Former colleagues, friends and businesses raised more than £100,000 to grant the former head's years-long wish to refurbish the playground, and provide funds for the awareness charity the MND Association.
Speaking via artificial intelligence, which uses old recordings of her voice, she said she had wanted to open the park years before her diagnosis.
"When I was headteacher I had a vision for this space and wanted to create somewhere really special for our children," she said.
"That vision was something I cared deeply about, so to come back today to see it become a reality is especially special to me."
The playground features a shed, flower beds, climbing frames and astroturf and has been named Mrs Park's Park.
Jill Ellison, the school's chair of governors, said it was a "dream come true".
Matthew Park said MND had been a "very difficult" disease to deal with.
"There's a new symptom, new challenge every day and we adjust, try and find a rhythm and then the next day there's another one that crops up that we have to adjust and deal with."
He said he no longer considered it a "rare disease" as it was clear "there's a lot of people affected".
Get in touch
Do you have a story suggestion for BBC Tees?