AS the current chairman of the Friends of Upton Country Park, I am at the park quite a lot but I rarely get the chance to just wander round it.

After the opening ceremony for the new Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) yesterday I walked its perimeter, and it reminded me of why I joined the friends in the first place.

As a child of the late 1940s/early 50s, I lived through some hard times, but the great joy for my sisters and myself was our visits to Badbury Rings, where we could run and play in a wonderful natural setting.

To me, Upton Country Park is the ‘Badbury Rings’ of today.

I walked with a visitor and her puppy. They were thoroughly enjoying the walk, and the new training area will be a great place for her to let the puppy off leash for the first time. It was also good to see Dorset Dogs there, handing out ‘poop’ bags and spreading their message of responsible dog ownership.

Children were happily planting bulbs, and, as I came over the last bridge, a young girl was paddling in the stream.

She and her mother were delighted to hear about the stepping stones, and set off to explore them.

As I have a bad back, and two arthritic knees, I was pleased by the good number of benches. I look forward to walking there often in the future.

All in all, it will be a great resource for both local people and visitors, and congratulations are due to all at the Borough of Poole for making this into such a delightful additional area.

CATHERINE TAYLOR, Redhill Park, Bournemouth