Park's photo contest

A photographic competition is being held to celebrate a unique scheme to boost the profile of the popular green space as well as two other visitor attractions.

The contest is open to adults and under-16s. The winners will receive 5 photographic vouchers and have their pictures made into postcards.

The runners-up will also have their pictures become postcards.

All that needs to be done is to snap a favoured view of the park and add a sentence about why the park is important.

Entries should be sent to Claire Drew, Bognor Regis Town Hall, Clarence Road, Bognor Regis PO21 1LD or her [email protected] e-mail address. Closing date is June 30.

Claire is holding the contest, just after the 60th anniversary of the park's opening, to launch the ECHO project.

The environmental community heritage outreach project brings together the Hotham Park Heritage Trust, Friends of Pagham Harbour nature reserve and the South Downs Planetarium at Chichester. Their members merged their separate applications for funding into one bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

This was rewarded with a 100,000 grant. Project officer Claire has been appointed to encourage people to enjoy and involve themselves in the sites. Her responsibilities also extend to developing workshops and resources for schools and community groups.

She said: 'The ECHO project is unique in Sussex and the country for bringing together three key partners who are run entirely by volunteers who devote their spare time to good causes about which they are passionate.'

Hotham Park is also about to benefit from an extensive makeover thanks to a separate 2.2m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded after eight years of preparatory work.