THE Hope Nature Centre in Southwick has re-opened its gates to visitors after nearly four months of closure due to the lockdown.

David Gillingham, commercial manager at Hope Nature Centre, said: “It has been an amazing first few weeks and we are massively grateful to everyone who has come along and supported us since our re-opening."

The animal park re-opened on April 12 when restrictions were eased and sold out, welcoming thousands of visitors through the gates in the first few weeks.

Visitors were able to see all the changes and experience the new facilities and animal attractions.

The charity took the opportunity during lockdown to refurbish different areas of the centre.

Staff have installed a new outdoor seating terrace and tractor play area in the café, targeting visitors who do not want to visit the animals.

There is a new catering outlet called The Snackbox, serving hot and cold drinks and snacks on the new terrace, with dogs welcome on leads.

The café was also re-furbished during lockdown with an extension to provide more space to safely meet the needs of customers and will reopen Monday May 1.

Mr Gillingham added: "Inside the animal park, visitors can say hello to our new animals, including two Wallabies, ‘Bubble & Squeak’.

"There has also been significant work on animal enclosures and shelters including a stunning new aviary and new interactive signage to provide information on our animals to our visitors. "The most exciting of our new experiences is the major expansion to our adventure play area, including a castle, which has had a resounding thumbs up by all our younger visitors."

The café and animal park are ensuring the adherence of Covid-19 rules, with the animal park operating at a limited capacity to ensure social distancing and the extended café and terrace providing appropriate spacing between tables.

Mr Gillingham said: "If you are planning a visit, it is highly advisable to pre-book your tickets online at hopenaturecentre.org.uk, as during busy periods tickets sell-out in advance."