ADULTS and children took advantage of a special community day at Christchurch Park to find out more about services on offer to them in Ipswich.The open-air community forum at the park gave people the chance to find out all about the public services they could use – and gave them the opportunity to discuss issues with councillors.

ADULTS and children took advantage of a special community day at Christchurch Park to find out more about services on offer to them in Ipswich.

The open-air community forum at the park gave people the chance to find out all about the public services they could use – and gave them the opportunity to discuss issues with councillors.

Organisations as diverse as the Friends of Christchurch Park and Suffolk College were represented at the event, which was aimed at bringing them to a new audience.

Among those who were finding out about the services were mothers with young children who admitted they would not normally consider going along to the council's community forums.

Cindy Holian, from the Chantry estate in Ipswich, was in the park with her children and her friend Gillian Muffett.

Mrs Holian said: "This is great. We've looked at several of the stalls and picked up some leaflets. I'd never get to a meeting because I don't have a nanny or a childminder."

Mrs Muffett said: "On a nice day like this, it's the ideal way to get the message across, even the children are interested in some of the leaflets."

Their views were echoed by Claire Willis-Betts from Thorrington Park.

She said: "I don't think I'd go into Civic Centre or the county council offices to pick up these leaflets – but seeing them all here and having people to talk to is great."

Borough council executive member Jane Chambers was delighted at the response to the first event of its type.

She said: "We have community forums in mornings and evenings to give people the chance to have their say and find out about what is on offer.

"But you only attract so many people to those kind of events – and this opens it up to many more – and the kids love collecting the wristbands.

"This is the first time we've done this, it was the idea of my Liberal Democrat colleague Louise Gooch, but I certainly think we will do it again."