A PLAYGROUND paradise venture in Cheshire - which offers free holidays to youngsters and respite care to seriously-ill children - has come of age.

And supporters of the Children's Adventure Farm Trust (CAFT) are not resting on their laurels as they enter their landmark 21st year. Not content with offering a rural idyll for more than 2,000 of the region's most disadvantaged young people last year, the ambitious trust is aiming to go 1,000 better for 2006.

For the first time it has taken on a full-time team of play and sports experts - all of which will cost £900,000. But with patrons such as World Cup winning legend Sir Bobby Charlton and England cricket maestro Freddie Flintoff - and a small army of volunteer fundraisers - anything is possible.

Roughly halfway between Lymm, rural Macclesfield and Altrincham, the Adventure Farm Trust can lay claim to being a hidden treasure. Even though the M56 and A556 are in close proximity, you could be in another world once you step through the gates of the 17th century farm complex.

That's just the way trust workers want it.

They cater for all kinds of inner-city youngsters - some of whom have rarely seen a meadow or farmyard before. Our 'tour guide' for the day, senior fundraiser Helen Crowther, begins by showing us around the sports hall complex.

Typically, as it's a bright sunny day, the place is deserted but it means we can take a peek at the games room, complete with Play Stations, a snooker table and TVs.

But with World Cup fever gripping the nation, the sports hall, located downstairs, is bound to be a favourite with visitors.

Heavy-duty by design and able to host a number of sports, from football and basketball to trampolining and badminton, the venue was completed following a major fundraising campaign in the late 90s.

Perhaps the greatest feat of engineering at the site, though, is the way in which they have adapted the original farmhouse buildings for an entirely different purpose.

The old living quarters are home to a dining room and kitchen which form an integral part of the CAFT ethos.

Like many young people today, guests at the farm are not familiar with the traditional 'sit-down' dinner experience. If only for a few minutes each day, youngsters can learn about the importance of interacting across the dinner table - and table manners!

Sunglasses are required for our next stop-off - the art room. Festooned with multi-coloured murals, posters and handicrafts, the facility lets young imaginations run riot.

As Helen explains, if youngsters are reticent about expressing themselves generally, they can choose any number of art forms as their outlet.

Upstairs is a fully functioning media suite, incorporating a range of musical instruments to appeal to all ages, from African and traditional drum kits to guitars, an organ and various percussion odds and sods.