THE result of months of work has been revealed in Bude this week after a stretch of beach access has been resurfaced.

On September 19, an official opening of the resurfaced sand rails access way to Summerleaze Beach was held.

The opening event was attended by around twenty five representatives from organisations who have been involved in the deign and delivery of the project. This included Cornwall Council staff and councillors, Cormac, Bude-Stratton Town Council, Active8, Bude Canal and Harbour Society, the Environment Agency and Future Coast Bude.

The access way was officially opened with a ribbon cutting by MP for North Cornwall, Ben Maguire, and Cornwall Councillor, Peter LaBroy.

Cllr LaBroy spoke to the group, drawing attention to the large amount of funding that had been spent in recent times to manage and maintain local flood and coastal erosion risk assets. He also thanked local stakeholders for their invaluable input in to the project, which required a careful balance of heritage and accessibility needs.

The project was made possible through £308,000 of Future Coast Bude funding, alongside an additional £300,000 of Cornwall Council funding to stabilise the embankment.

In a speech, Mr Maguire said: “Projects such as Future Coast Bude are national exemplars of forward thinking and innovation. This also represents a significant investment by DEFRA and Bude is only one of only two communities chosen in the Southwest to be allocated funding. Well done Bude – you have done Cornwall proud.”

Peter Daniel, secretary of the Bude Canal and Harbour Society talked to those gathered about the significant historical importance of the sand rails. A new information board is being produced to reflect this and will be installed in the near future. The production of this is being supported by the Heritage Centre at Bude Castle.