Mewsbrook Park group springs into life as new leadership found

The Friends of Mewsbrook Park was on the brink after the chairman and secretary of the group, Clive and Sue Fennell, resigned in October.

At the society’s annual general meeting in April, the mayor of Littlehampton, Billy Blanchard-Cooper, revealed he would be taking the reins.

He said: “I am delighted to take up this role and while it has been rewarding to raise money during my year as mayor for this group, I am looking forward to taking a more active role in the group’s future.

“We would like to thank all those involved in the group’s past, and now look forward to being a part of its future. We feel with a larger committee we will have clearer roles to make workloads manageable and thus achieve more.”

Joining the new chairman on the committee is Billy’s husband and fellow town councillor Chris Blanchard-Cooper, Sonia Heryet as society secretary, Barry Bastable, and longstanding member Di Larcom.

Clive and Sue Fennell left the group after feeling ignored by Arun District Council about the condition of Mewsbrook’s lake.

It was kept going by society treasurer Tony Carter, who will keep his role, and with support from the Littlehampton Civic Society.

The new chairman said his goal was to ‘build stronger relationships’ with the Miniature Railway, café and boating concessions, and Arun District Council’s parks team, to ‘give a more cohesive approach in getting things done’.

The group has made a plan for their aspirations and went to the Mewsbrook Park stakeholder’s meeting.

Billy said: “Like many of the plants in the park, this group has been in hibernation over the winter months, but now it’s springing back to life and sees no end to what it can achieve.”

Membership of the group is £5 per household. To join, pick up a form from the Mewsbrook Park Café.