Children brought their buckets and spades for an afternoon on the beach to celebrate the official opening of a popular seaside destination.

Polegate Children’s Centre was invited by Wealden District Council and the National Trust to Birling Gap beach on Tuesday.

Following months of renovation work the National Trust’s Birling Gap now offers visitors a brand new shop, ice cream parlour, extended cafe seating area, a landscaped garden and a new 49 step staircase between the cliffs and the beach.

The new staircase, which cost £60,000, was necessary after the area where the cliffs met the previous staircase eroded by ten meters in less than 20 years.

Zara Luxford, National Trust operations manager, said: “We are over the moon with our new look cafe and shop, but this is just the start.

“Next year we will be opening a visitor centre which will explore the many stories of Birling Gap and include a community exhibition and learning room.”