RESIDENTS are celebrating the 50th anniversary of a well-used park in the centre of Clifton.
Clifton Playing Fields were introduced into the estate when it was built to bring a green space to the area.
And August marks 50 years of their contribution to Clifton Estate, with regular fun days, football, skating and a wide variety of other activities taking place there over the years.
Nicole Hollingsworth has lived in Clifton since 1976.
She said: "The playing fields are really important for Clifton people – there are 60 people on there every morning walking their dogs and they all meet there and have a chat.
"Then you get people using the skate park and people walking in the afternoon and people playing football and cricket. It's really quite nice.
"It's needed. If they took it away there would be much more trouble in Clifton.
"I always go down there with the dog and I used to take the children down there and now I take the grandchildren. It's the place to be and it really brings the community together."
To mark the 50th anniversary, this year's annual Picnic in the Park celebration is set to be bigger than ever.
The annual event will take place this year on Tuesday, August 13, from 11am to 3pm and is free of charge.
Yvonne Bell, 47, also agreed that the site was important to the area.
She said: "I used to use it when I was younger. We used to have a summer school down there and played tennis.
"It's a really important place for people – there is always football and cricket being played down there.
"It was a good thing for the kids growing up. It's always been well used."
Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood said: "Clifton Playing Fields are a precious open space where residents can exercise, play and relax.
"I was delighted when the skate park was built and it's great to see it so well used by young people from the estate.
"I very much hope that over the next 50 years Clifton playing fields will support a new generation of Nottingham sportsmen and women."
