THE NEW Wokingham Borough Mayor has opened his first park in the market town, which will provide a space for families to enjoy.

Councillor Bill Soane opened the new park in Mulberry Grove in Wokingham on Thursday, June 20 which has a basket swing, rope bridge, climbing trunks slide and trim trail.

Cllr Bill Soane said: “Opening the new park at Mulberry Grove was a fantastic honour for me. It is heart-warming to see people coming together and enjoying the facilities on offer.

“Public parks play an extremely important role in many communities, providing young families and children with safe and exciting spaces to enjoy and interact with neighbours and the new park here at Mulberry Grove does just that. With summer coming I am sure there is going to be a lot of fun to be had.”

The My Journey team from Wokingham Borough Council were also on hand to help celebrate the opening by handing out fresh smoothies to the first users of the park.

Local church volunteers served up teas, coffees and biscuits to dozens of local residents who can all enjoy the park.

Councillor Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure, added: “This park looks great and I’m sure all the local children at Mulberry Grove are looking forward to the summer sun, shots on the swings and zooming down the slides. I wish them many happy hours playing here.

“There is more to come in Mulberry Grove. In addition to the park the allotment next door is also coming together for residents to enjoy.

“This space has been created with the local resident’s needs in mind. There’s a dedicated parking area, water taps and individual sheds for each plot holder. We also used organic matter during installation, making the site hedgehog friendly, a great benefit to the local ecosystem.”

Christine Tiernan, sales and marketing director at Crest Nicholson South enjoyed seeing the smiles the children’s faces.

She added: "I am delighted to have welcomed so many families to the official opening of the park. We’ve worked hard to create a space that can be enjoyed by local children, so to see the excitement on their faces as they played on the new swings and in the sandpit was truly uplifting.”