THE beach has come to Beeston as part of a bid to revive community spirit amid the ongoing tram works.
In a set-up similar to Nottingham's Riviera, the buckets and spades are out at the town's Broadgate Park.
A makeshift beach and activities for all the family are on offer at 'Beeston Bay', which runs until Saturday.
The event has been organised by Beeston Business Improvement District (BID) to lift spirits and bring people together for a fun day out.
Beeston BID manager Stephanie Wilkinson said: "Nottingham has its Riviera, so we thought we'd do something similar in Beeston.
"We thought people might not want to travel into town for that, so we decided to bring the beach to them. The event will help a lot of independent shops as well.
"Beeston is getting a bit of a hard time at the moment with the trams, but we know from past events that there's a really nice community spirit here.
"We want to recreate that, and help people fall in love with the town again."
Heather Moon, 25, and Andrea Hannam, 35, both from Beeston, said they were glad something was being done to improve the town's mood.
Andrea said: "I think everyone is sick of the trams and will be glad when it's all done.
"In the meantime, I hope an event like this will make sure people keep coming to Beeston. Some of the smaller shops are suffering, so hopefully this will help."
A host of activities will be on offer, including story time for the children todayWed and a puppet show tomorrowThurs. On Saturday, a Party in the Park will see bands and local artists performing throughout the day.
Donna Horsfall brought her children Lily, eight, and Daniel, six, to the first day.
The 42 year old, of Ilkeston, said: "It seems great so far and the atmosphere is brilliant. It's nice when people come together like this.
"It's also a good way of keeping the kids entertained – it can be difficult to keep them happy for six solid weeks!"
Lisa Price, of Hucknall, had brought her children Rhys, eight, and Sophia, three.
She added: "It seems very popular already, so I'm sure it will be positive for the town."
Beeston Bay runs from 10am to 4pm daily, with Saturday's Party in the Park until 6pm.
