Shelter rebuilt after two years

Press release: July 2021

Nicholas Everitt Park Trust are delighted to see the shelter at the sunken gardens entrance to the park finally rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire in 2019.

Whilst the rebuilding of the shelter unfortunately was delayed by pandemic, the newly completed construction is looking splendid at the entrance of the green flag award winning park.

Oulton Broad Parish Council is the sole trustee of the Nicholas Everitt Park Trust, the charity which operates the park, and Cllr Sandra Keller, chair of the parish council, said “How wonderful it is to see the shelter rebuilt and now restoring the sunken gardens to their former glory. The new shelter has been finished to an exceptional standard, it is a perfect match to the one lost to the fire, it is absolutely identical to existing shelter on the opposite side of the gardens”.

Whilst the Lowestoft College had originally planned to support the rebuild, the disruption to the students schedules and COVID rules caused by the pandemic proved too difficult to allow this happen.

However, local company Cleveland Joinery, of Lake View Road, Oulton Broad, stepped forward and have undertaken the complete construction of the shelter, with timber supplied by Smith Bros.

The shelters have been a much loved feature of the park for generations and it is hoped now they can once again be enjoyed to their fullest - they are often the chosen backdrop for wedding photos and family gatherings.

The park continues to be very busy with the summer season underway, which follows on from an equally busy period over the lockdowns, when many people enjoyed the space the park offered for their exercise and daily walks. Estimates put the footfall of visitors to the park during lockdowns at two to three times the usual number.

Photo copyright NEP Trust
Left to right, Cllr Andrew Page, Cllr Sandra Keller, Andrew Cleveland.