AN up-and-coming seaside town is set to get a huge new adventure park as part of a multi-million renovation.

The new playground will be part of the Newhaven Fort, which is currently closed.

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The park will be a “a celebration of Victorian innovation” which mirrors the fort’s history.

There will be a large tubular slide attached to a Victorian “dirigible” – a blimp like structure.

A steam crane-inspired lookout tower, with a secret entrance for kids.

The sheltered play area is called Ardagh’s workshop, named after the Fort’s original architect, Lieutenant John Charles Ardagh.

There will also be accessible play features such as “sound play, sensory items, interactive speaking tubes and an accessible trampoline and roundabout”.

CAP.CO has an impressive track record, having created outdoor play spaces at numerous heritage sites including Windsor Great Park, Blenheim Palace and the National Maritime Museum.

It has been created by adventure play specialists CAP.CO, who have also worked on projects and Blenheim Palace and Windsor Great Park.

designer and ‘Professor of Play’ Jono Burgess said they wanted the design to “reflect the history and character of the fort”.

They added: “Since the Fort was built in the Victorian era, we wanted to celebrate the ingenuity and inventive spirit of the 1800s.

“Our goal is to design and build an inclusive adventure playground which kids will want to return to again and again to challenge themselves, make new friends and have fun.”

Newhaven Fort will reopen in February 2025, following a £7.5million restoration.

The fort was the largest defence network built in Sussex in the 19th century, built due to the threat of Napoleon the Third.

Along with the playground there will be new interactive exhibitions and a refurbished Battery Observation Post with views out to sea.

The seaside town has revealed plans to become a more popular staycation destination.

Near to Brighton and Eastbourne, Newhaven’s only beach could reopen.

West Beach closed back in 2008 due to safety concerns but hopes to reopen soon.

There are also 15 huge murals across Newhaven as part of the June Look Again Supergraphics Festival.

Newhaven was even nearly home to the UK’s largest waterpark but these plans were scrapped.

Corinne Day, programme director at Newhaven Enterprise Zone (NEZ), said: “Having an updated town centre is just one of the factors that will build on its success as we look to transform Newhaven into a major contributor to the Sussex economy by 2030.”

Sussex was recently named one of the best places to visit in 2025.

And here’s West Sussex’s best kept secret, according to locals.

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ONE of the UK’s trendiest seaside towns has revealed new images of its £6.6million attraction set to re-open.

Folkestone’s Leas Lift was forced to close back in 2017.

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However, works are to finally start on the multi-million pound attraction after London-based firm Apex Contractors have been appointed the £5million contract.

The firm will spend the next three months preparing the site for construction.

The Grade-II listed funicular will be fully restored to operate again which will transport passengers from the cliffside to the beach.

Along with this, the waiting room will be renovated along with a new cafe and outdoor terrace.

Chair of the Leas Lift Build Committee Jo Streeter said they were “extremely excited” that works were finally starting.

They added: “We wanted to be absolutely sure that as well as getting value for money – which is vital for our funders and supporters – we selected a company that understands what the Lift means to Folkestone.”

Dan Hollis, managing director at Apex, said: “From the moment we had the opportunity to work on the project, our whole team have been excited about bringing a local landmark with national importance back into public use.”

Along with £4.8million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project is expected to cost £6.6million.

It hopes to open by summer 2025 although some fear this could be delayed.

The 138-year-old lift is one of only three water-balanced funiculars remaining in the UK.

Having opened in 1885, it carried thousands of people on its first day, with 36million passengers by the time it closed.

Folkestone even had two other lifts – The Metropole Lift and the Sandgate Hill Lift – although these no longer exist.

One of the most famous UK funiculars is the Saltburn Cliff Lift which reopened back in September following a fire.

But Folkestone is set to be a popular seaside destination in the UK, taking on other Kent towns such as Margate and Whitstable.

We spoke to a number of locals about Folkestone, who have seen huge changes in recent years.

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Local Simon, who owns the Champagne Bar which is the ‘closest to France in the UK’ said: “We were told we were mad to open in Folkestone 10 years ago – now look at us.”

There is also Burrito Buoy, a Mexican restaurant that launched their own store after huge success on the Harbour Arms.

Run by couple Sammy and Matt, who is from Oregon, they opened because they “couldn’t get food like this anywhere else”.

And beach-side Brewing Brothers, who opened their first Kent bar after success in Sussex, said: “There’s been so much music this year and going to be even bigger next year.”

The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor on living in Folkestone

The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey explains why Folkestone is a great place to live.

I made the move to Folkestone a few years ago, leaving the busy life of London and have never looked back.

Named one of the Best Places to Live in 2024 study by the Times, it toes the balance of being an exciting place to live, without feeling like a seaside town catered to tourists.

There is the Harbour Arm, with bars, eateries and shops, as well as the multi-coloured shops lining the Creative Quarter.

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You can test your skills at F51, the worlds first multi storey skate park, or pop on the Eurotunnel and be in Calais in 35 minutes.

And often walking past the Leas Lift (where the former cafe did one of the best hot chocolates), I can’t wait for it to be restored.

Make sure to visit the new London & Paris hotel too, one of the only boutique hotels in town.

Even the owner backed Folkestone, saying: “I’ve been to other seaside towns and you don’t get that same community feeling – and the food and drink scene here is fantastic.”

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RYANAIR is launching a new route between Teesside and Malaga, with flights to start operating in March.

Earlier this year, Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, vowed to bring new Costa del Sol flights to the tiny UK airport.

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Direct services will start operating between Teesside and Malaga on March 31, 2025.

The twice-weekly service will operate every Monday and Thursday until October 23, 2025.

Monday flights will depart Malaga at 5.50am, touching down in the UK at Teesside at 8am.

Return journeys will then leave the UK airport at 8.25am, arriving in Malaga at 12.35pm local time.

Thursday flights will operate slightly later, with services leaving Malaga at 7am and arriving in the UK at 9.10am.

The return service will then depart from Teesside at 9.35am, landing in Malaga at 1.45pm.

Sun Online Travel have found one-way fares from £68.99 per person, with tickets already on sale.

When the new flights were announced, Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, said: “The people of Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool have been asking for more sunshine destinations, and we’ve delivered exactly that with Ryanair’s fantastic support.

“This is a huge win for our airport and our region, but we’re not stopping here. Our goal is to keep growing, breaking records and getting more holiday flights for local people.”

A statement from the airport reads: “The announcement follows another successful summer for Ryanair at Teesside, where routes to holiday hotspots including Majorca, Faro and Corfu have seen booming demand.”

The news comes after Teesside Airport announced its pre-tax and interest profit in 12 years.

Teesside is mainly served by airlines like Ryanair and TUI with passengers already able to fly to destinations like Dalaman in Turkey, Corfu in Greece and Majorca in Spain.

It is hoped that more flights will be introduced at the regional airport.

Teesside International Airport was named the favourite small UK airport for leisure travel by passengers at the British Travel Awards in 2023.

Last year, Teesside International Airport saw the highest number of passengers pass through its terminal for 11 years.

Meanwhile, Mayor Ben Houchen has promised to pump £20million into renovating the airport’s train station.

Teesside Airport Station closed in May 2022, and it has yet to reopen.

Houchen told the Northern Echo: “As a serious airport we need a working rail link that passengers can use to get to the airport, and with the current state of the train station this is simply not possible.

“We are ahead of schedule on our plan to turn things around, and the next phase of development following the opening of our business park and cargo facility, will see us build a new station at the airport.”

The other small UK airport set for new flights

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RYANAIR looks set to launch three brand new flights at a small UK airport, as it already begins to cast its eyes on next summer.

In April, the budget carrier started new routes from Norwich Airport for the first time.

Passengers in Norfolk were able to book flights to Alicante in Spain, Faro in Portugal and Malta, with some routes starting from as little as £17.

Now the airline could be set to launch more new routes from the regional travel hub, according to its managing director.

Richard Pace has said that he is hoping to see at least two or three more flights added to the airport’s route map in time for summer 2025.

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In an interview with BBC Radio Norfolk, he spoke of the success of the first few months of flights from Norwich Airport and said he would know more about the future routes from next month.

At the moment, there is no indication of where the new routes will travel to, or when they will begin.

Meanwhile, Jet2 is set to open a brand-new airport base at London Luton Airport next year.

From the London-based airport, Jet2 will fly to 17 destinations, with 36 flights operating every week next summer.

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