A new children's play area has been opened ahead of an exciting new beach festival.
With hundreds of families expected to flock to Lowestoft to enjoy the First Light Festival, a new seafront play area has been unveiled.
Following the allocation of funding from the former Waveney District Council - now East Suffolk Council - and a contribution of £10,000 from the Lowestoft Tourism Group, work to extend the play area at Royal Green began in April.
These works, carried out by contractors Sutcliffe Play and delivered by East Suffolk Council in partnership with Sentinel Leisure Trust and East Suffolk Norse, have now been completed on schedule and ahead of this weekend's First Light Festival.
The extended play park offers a self-contained toddler play area with inclusive play equipment for disabled users.
Craig Rivett, East Suffolk's deputy leader and cabinet member for economic development and regeneration, said: "I am delighted that these exciting new facilities are now open for younger children to enjoy, just in time for the summer season and for the First Light Festival.
"This play area is just part of our ongoing work to regenerate the seafront area; in addition, we have attracted a number of new seafront concessions and refurbishments to the former lifeguard station are now complete.
"We will continue to progress other projects which will enhance the seafront and attract even more visitors to Lowestoft and the wider area."
The project is part of wider regeneration plans for the seafront and achieves several of the objectives within the Lowestoft Seafront Vision, developed by the council and the Lowestoft Coastal Community Team, working with Hemingway Design.
These objectives include the development of new seafront amenities, increasing visitor numbers and promoting an active seafront.
One of the main projects from the seafront vision was the creation of a brand new festival for Lowestoft, celebrating the town's most easterly location.
The First Light Festival, a 24-hour multi-arts festival, takes place on the South Beach on June 22-23 and celebrates Lowestoft's position as the first place that the sun rises in the UK.
Visit firstlightfestival.com and lowestoftsouthbeach.co.uk for further details.
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