Group relives joyful days in Littlehampton

David Jones was among those attending a reunion in the town with former school friends and pupils of the Chailey Heritage School for disabled children, based in East Sussex.

A pupil at the school during the early 1960s, David said he was overjoyed at the chance to reminisce about his cherished moments visiting Littlehampton as a youngster, alongside his former classmates.

David, of Joyce Close, said more than 20 “old scholars” from Chailey Heritage turned out for the reunion, which was also attended by Arun District Council chairman Ann Smee, who welcomed the group back to the town.

“Littlehampton has always been quite dear to us growing up as handicapped children,” admitted David, who was born with cerebral palsy.

“We were all in the same boat back then and it was far harder for handicapped people growing up then, than it is now.

“There was still a real stigma about being disabled that was fairly hard to overcome.”

David, who is a trustee of Shopmobility, based in St Martin’s Lane, Littlehampton, said that the group enjoyed a light lunch at the Galley Restaurant in Harbour Park – an attraction they knew well from their visits as children.

“We used to come down to Smarts’ Amusement Park on an annual summer trip.

“It was something we always looked forward to and I’ve always had good memories of coming to Littlehampton.

“Because Chailey was a boarding school, it was all we would talk about during the year.

“For me, Harbour Park is Littlehampton,” he said.