Things to do in Portsmouth: South Parade Pier fairground Kidz Island sees families flock to brand new attractions

Kidz Island has added two new activities to its roster this year and owners David Wallis and Penelope Wallis were pleased to see a good turnout following a disspointing start to the year. Children were delighted by the newly opened ‘giant trampolines’ and ‘water walkers’, which David believes are one of a kind in Portsmouth.

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David explained that poor weather led to a low footfall during the recent Easter holidays which are an important period for the business. The couple first took over the lease on the pier in 2020 just before the first lockdown and David said this early challenge was ‘a struggle’.

David said: ‘We invested quite heavily in a lot of new rides so it was a bit of a struggle considering we’d spent all that money and it was all just sat here ready to go.

‘Easter last year was great. The weather was great, the temperatures were nice and everyone was fresh to come out. This year the temperature, then weather and the difficult times people are having now with their utility bills – it’s not been the best start. We got closed up for maybe five days over the Easter period – when kids were off school – due to the rain and the wind.

‘Every business is going to find it a little bit tough this year. We’ve got special offers to try and help people with discounts, the same as every other business is trying to help.We’ve got to just knuckle down and try to do our best. Today there’s a nice few people around so let’s hope it continues.’

The 47-year old, originally from Manchester, is the sixth generation of his family to be in the fairground entertainment industry.

Megan Worth from Plymouth, whose daughter tried the helicopter ride, said: ‘It’s family friendly. There’s lots of different variety and it’s a little old fashioned but that’s the classic British seaside sort of vibe.’

Neil Hardcastle from Southsea, whose two granchildren had a go on the trampolines, added: ‘It’s great having something like this on the pier. When I was a kid, the seafront was filled with attractions so obviously after years of not having anything, it’s great to see something back on the pier and making a bit of a landmark. We try and use it throughout the summer because the grandkids love it here.’

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Maisie and Sienna tried out the water walkers – inflatable plastic balls which allow the user to walk on the water’s surface in a pool.

Maisie, aged 11, said: It was really hot inside the bubbles but I loved doing flips inside them. Sienna, 10, added: ‘It was very fun. I liked the challenge of it being tricky to walk and do tricks.’

Kidz Island will also be unvieling a new ‘secret’ ride – to be shipped from Italy – ahead of the summer holidays.