CIRCUS skills, a teddy bears’ picnic, football fun and a treasure trail are just some of the free attractions planned to mark the official opening of the Chippenham splash pad at John Coles Park on Saturday.

An entire family fun day is being put on by Chippenham Town Council to mark the official opening of the new £85,000 splash pad water attraction in the park which has already been enjoyed by hundreds of the town’s children.

The water-based play area, for children up to the age of 12, was switched on for the first time during the very warm May half term and lots of children enjoyed the sprayers squirt water from the ground, from overhead devices and from side posts.

Town Mayor David Powell will cut ribbons with a team of young helpers to open the splash pad, which is fully accessible to children with disabilities and mobility issues, at 12.30pm.

He will then be joining Albert the Teddy meeting young visitors and their families.

Councillor Sylvia Gibson, chairman of the leisure and amenities committee, said: “The fun day promises to be a wonderful community day for our residents.

"We’ve put together lots of fun activities which are free of charge. We hope families will bring their children to the park and enjoy a wonderful day out.

“The highlight of the day will be the official opening of the splash pad which is already proving to be a superb addition to the facilities in John Coles Park.

"We have had so many positive comments about it and we know people are looking forward to being able to bring their children to enjoy it during the summer holidays.”

The fun day which will run from noon until 4pm and visitors can also enjoy ChippFest’s Rockin the Park event simultaneously which will see live music until 9.15pm.

Coaches from Swindon Town Football Club will be on hand to help youngsters getting involved on the inflatable football pitch and football skills challenges while the council’s museum and heritage centre staff are creating a teddy bear treasure trail, teddy bears’ picnic and teddy bear story time.

Parking is limited at the park and visitors are urged, if possible to leave the car at home. Those who do have to drive are asked to use the nearby public car parks rather than the residential roads close to the park.