Hundreds attend grand opening of new Worthing playground

Youngsters were all smiles as the ribbon was cut on their brand new playground

Worthing Borough Council has spent £90,000 on revamping a children's playground in West Park, Shaftesbury Avenue, Worthing.

After hundreds of people had input on what the new playground would look like, contractors have been busy installing a mixture of swings, slides, and other fun-filled apparatus.

The playground was officially opened on Friday (17 August 2018), as youngsters queued up eager to try out the new kit. The grand unveiling also included bunting, balloons and a face painter for the little ones.

Councillor Edward Crouch, Worthing Borough Council's Executive Member for Digital and Environmental Services, cut the ribbon in front of an audience of over 200 people. He said:“This is the culmination of over a year’s hard work between the local residents, the friends of group, local members and the council. It’s great to see all of the children and families here today to support the opening – it shows how valued it is to the community.”

The refurbishment has been made possible utilising Worthing Borough Council’s s106 developer contributions.

It’s part of a widespread investment that the Council is making in its open spaces, with improvements made after a period of widespread consultation with local communities.

One of the youngsters who rushed to try new equipment was Isla Wilson. She said:“The zip wire is my favourite – I like how fast it goes! It’s a lot better than what was here before. There’s lots more things to go on instead of just the swings. We come here a lot of times after school and I'm looking forward to coming back!"

Abby Barras, a parent who attended the opening, explained what the new playground means to her: “We live locally and we’ve been living here about nine years, so we’ve been coming to this park for a long time. It’s lovely to see some regeneration and the community coming back together. A big thank you to everyone who’s been involved in putting it together.”

Andy Edwards, Head of Environmental Services at Adur & Worthing Councils, explained:“These improvements are part of a rolling programme demonstrating our commitment to investing in play equipment for the future. Next we will be holding a public consultation on the installation of fitness equipment at West Park, and we look forward to hearing local residents’ ideas and suggestions.”

Anyone interested in contributing to the public consultation on fitness equipment can email parksandforeshore@adur-worthing.gov.uk.