Sherwood Avenue Park, Newark, officially opened with a family funday by Mayor of Newark, featuring Extreme Wheels stunt displays

A public park has officially opened with a day of entertainment and family fun over the weekend.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Sherwood Avenue Park, Newark, welcomed hundreds of people to a special event to officially declare the park open after it was revitalised in a more than £500,000 upgrade project.

While the public have been able to enjoy the park facilities for the past few months, the event was a chance for families to come together, enjoy the sunshine, and have some fun.

The park was officially opened by Mayor of Newark, Barbara Corrigan, alongside chairman of Newark and Sherwood District Council, Jean Hall, before visitors were treated to a display of exciting stunts and tricks from the Extreme Wheels groups, who showed off the full capabilities of the new skatepark.

It wasn’t a conventional ribbon cutting either, as scooters and bikes jumped overhead and between the two dignitaries.

There was live music from the roaming Hot Dog Brass Band too, as well as coffee and refreshments from Kings of the Road, an ice cream van to help people cool off in the sun, a raffle stall from the Children’s Bereavement Centre, and officers from Newark Police Station were there chatting with the public about the work they do in the community.

In her first public engagement as Newark’s new Mayor, Barbara Corrigan, said: “It’s thrilling to be here and it makes me so proud to be able to represent the hard work of so many people, including members of the community who contributed their thoughts and helped with the design.

“I’m so pleased to see so many people here, all the kids using the skatepark and showing off their tricks — people are loving it, we’ve had almost entirely positive feedback.”

As a member of Newark Town Council, who have responsibility for the park, she was also excited to see the project through from initial ideas, planning, and consultation, all the way to now opening the park as Mayor, and credited “good financial management” for being able to achieve so much.

The Sherwood Avenue Park project was undertaken after it was found that fewer and fewer people were using it because of safety fears and an unwelcoming atmosphere which had attracted anti-social behaviour.

Following a public consultation, work started on the upgrade scheme last summer, and saw the dark and dingy area brightened up with new plating, old dilapidated play equipment replaced with engaging and accessible new facilities, and the old wooden skatepark was transformed with a state of the art concrete design.

The park plans had the backing of Newark and Sherwood District Council, who also helped to organise the opening event.

Council chairman, Jean Hall, said: “It is a fantastic feeling to see something evolving for the community, with their input, and for our children and the future generations to enjoy.

“It has always been said that there is not enough for children to do [in Newark]. Well, this place is just amazing.

“It’s brilliant to see the kids so engrossed and playing, and it would be great to hold more events like this.

“We’ve had lots of feedback about the park, it has been extremely well received, and it is something which hopefully can be recreated elsewhere as well.”

New areas were created as part of the park upgrade, including a play zone, with new play equipment, splash area, and a zip line; an active zone with modern skate park facilities, multi-use sports pitch, and a fitness trail with a selection of outdoor exercise equipment; and a nature zone complete with a wildflower meadow and 40 new trees.

Perk entrances have also been revamped to create a more inviting atmosphere, and a ‘welcome zone’ has been added so that the park can adapt to host futures events, performances, or market stalls.

Another new addition to the park is the addition of an environmentally friendly public toilet, which was added following feedback from the initial project consultation as there had been complaints that previously the closest public toilet to Sherwood Avenue was at St Mark’s Place, in the town centre.