(Article reposted from Adur and Worthing Council)
Something is stirring down at Brooklands Park this summer as a whole host of activities get underway ahead of the second phase of the project to transform the green space for generations to come.
Today Worthing Borough Council announces a programme of fun activities for the whole family making use of the natural green pocket to enjoy fitness, science and natural play projects.
The events, run by partners of the Council, include free cycling events for everyone, celebrations to mark world environment day, a children’s gardening week, and National Bee Day with fun and games and education on the 'Honey Bee' for all to enjoy.
Among other events will be The Big Bike Revival for the public to bring along their bikes for cycle safety check, basic tuning and repairs.
The events herald the second phase of major work on the Park starting in September which will transform it into a beautiful new asset.
Work will include creating a brand new childrens’ adventure playground, building a new eco-cafe, creating new accessible pathways and, crucially landscaping the entire park to bring in new trees, plants, glades and discovery trails.
Already a host of top landscape and development companies have signalled interest in working with Worthing Borough Council on the £2m restoration project and officers are now busy finalising partners to begin work.
The first contract to begin the work is expected to be signed soon and work will commence in early Autumn.
In the longer term an indoor ‘leisure box’ will be positioned at the South Eastern corner of the Park to complement the green space but give families all-year round access to an activity centre. Residents will be consulted on the project.
The landscaping and build work is the second phase of the project to revive Brooklands.
The dredging and restoration of the lake, complete with renewable energy water aeration windmills, was completed in 2019. A six-figure sum was spent after concerns about the build of silt in the eight-acre lake.
With six Olympic swimming pools worth of material shifted and a range of new wildlife-friendly environments created, the area has been transformed into a vibrant place for flora and fauna.
The centrepiece is a 105-metre boardwalk which allows visitors to stroll along a reed-lined pathway and get closer to the vast array of wildlife that has repopulated the lake.
Meanwhile a mini eco-space is being developed at Brooklands Park to engage the local community and encourage pollinators such as bees. Partners We Are FoodPioneers, Creative Waves and the Friends of Brooklands Park have teamed up to deliver the 'Bees&Seas' project, which includes on site classrooms and workshops spaces, bee hives, an orchard, a herb garden, wildlife habitats, a bug hotel and planting schemes.
Photo: An artist's impression of the new-look Brooklands Park
