Whispering Smith Column published in the Littlehampton Gazette June 2nd. 2016

Great news, the imminent return of the miniature railway and that the little engine will be rolling down the track in time for this summer. A complete holiday attraction running from the East Beach Café – like the design or not, get over it, it is an attraction and it is here to stay – the crazy golf course, the Putting Green Café – soon to reopen – the super Pitch and Putt course on through to the lovely Mewsbrook Park with the new playground, gardens, boating lake, open space and another excellent café all within a stone’s throw of our super clean beach. This is one of those seemingly rare examples where local government, local enterprise and imagination all come together to benefit both the local folk and the holiday makers. I love being out on the P&P course each Sunday with friends – mostly thrashing around in the undergrowth looking for a lost ball – and hearing that whistle blow and seeing the waving hands of the children, thanks to all concerned. The icing on the cake would be if it were a real steam engine!

IRRITATED to see that the young prickly gorse bushes planted at the base of the new bandstand in order to deter youngsters from climbing the thing have all been uprooted… betcha didn’t see that one coming? Of course you did. The only answer is to ignore their antics and accept the inevitable accident or to paint the top twelve inches with non-drying anti vandal paint and display a suitable warning sign.

THREE upcoming events for your diaries are the Birds of Prey flying display at Crossbush Farm Shop, a fiver a head, on June 4^th, the free Stage by the Sea Concert in aid of 4Sight on the 18^th of June from 2pm until 9pm and later the following month the free Love Littlehampton Festival In The Park on July 16th at Caffyn’s Field.