Birmingham park gets boulodrome
If you go down to your local park, there may well be a tennis court or basketball hoops.
However, at Cotteridge Park, Birmingham, you can see people playing the traditional French sport of boules.
A new gravel pitch, or boulodrome, has been laid and opened in the park.
Emma Woolf, chair of Friends of Cotteridge Park, said it could be the start of a "boules revolution" in the city.
The West Midlands Petanque Association was on hand at the official opening to give some advice and demonstrate the art of throwing the perfect boule.
Ms Woolf said they were really pleased with the turnout at the opening and that visitors from other parts of Birmingham had taken away information on how to get started.
"We feel it bodes well for our terrain (pitch) and for future development in other parks in the city," she said.
She added that residents had had a go and "discovered the very social nature of this most European of activities - boules in France, bocce in Italy and of course bowling here".