Pink elephant returns to namesake park

A "unique" pink elephant slide has returned to its namesake park after being restored.

The Elephant Park, in St Brelade, Jersey, has been without its flagship attraction for the last month, while improvements were made.

The team working to restore it said they were 'happy to help preserve it for the next generation'.

It comes ahead of further enhancements to the park, including a £250,000 upgrade of the toilets.

In an online notice to parishioners, the elephant's restoration was described as a "spa break", with assurances that it would return "bright and refreshed, and ready to enjoy the smiling faces" of park users.

The repairs were carried out by Rosden Glass Fibre. Its CEO, Chris Orkizewski, who described himself as "chief elephant officer", said it had been "great to work on such a famous piece of Jersey history".

"We work on all sorts of different projects whether it be boats, cars, architectural projects etc… but it's not every day we have a giant pink elephant in the workshop."

The elephant has had previous homes on the island, including Fort Regent, but it has been a fixture of the Elephant Park for decades.

"I remember playing on it when I was a kid so it's nice that today's generation still have it. Everyone loves it, it's very unique," said Orkizewski.

It took about a month to complete the restoration, which involved stripping the back of the elephant, which was starting to flake.

There were also various structural repairs including soft protection under the belly, new rubber edge strips and a new non-slip surface.

The final step saw it recoated and sprayed with a "shiny new finish".

St Brelade Constable Mike Jackson acknowledged how unusual the project was and said that the renewed elephant "will be appreciated by children in the parish".

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