New footpath will keep Aldwick park's users off the muddy grass

The route across Avisford Park recreation ground stretches some 120m between its Nyetimber Lane and Carlton Avenue entrances.

Its cost of some £10,000 was paid by Aldwick Parish Council and Arun District Council which managed the work. Mum-of-two Emma Payne, 32, was among those at the path’s opening by parish council chairman Dr Tony Poland.

She said: “It’s brilliant to have the path. I’m back and forth across the park all the time from my home to Rose Green Infant School. My eldest child goes there and my youngest will be starting in September. It’s okay in the summer but when it rains the children get muddy.

“We’re on our bikes and the only alternative was the horrible corner of Carlton Avenue with Nyetimber Lane.”

The 1.2m-wide surfaced path scored highly in consultations by the parish council and was the subject of a 250-name petition.

Cllr Dr Poland said: “This is the way forward. If we can afford to pay for a scheme, we should go into a partnership.”

The path has two temporary paths to the park’s playarea which the councils hope to extend.