CITY residents were able to take home a piece of Worcester history over the weekend, with bits of Gheluvelt Park’s now demolished old pavilion sold off for charity.

A new Sons of Rest pavilion, housing a snack kiosk and toilets, as well as a community room, will be stationed next to the Splashpad, and be ready for the summer.

The old pavilion had been delicately dismantled, and Worcestershire Resource Exchange were busy flogging all the wood and metal materials on Saturday and Sunday in what was dubbed the Big Wood Sale.

Councillor Alan Feeney, vice chair of the city council’s environment committee, said the new pavilion “will give people exactly what they’ve been hoping for”.

“The Splashpad is loved by families across the city and beyond, but plenty of people have told us that it would be even better if you could buy food and drink nearby and use a toilet,” he added.

Set to open in June, the new structure will include a kiosk for the selling of takeaway hot food, snacks and drinks.

The new multi-use community room with an adjoining kitchen and toilet, with baby-changing facilities, will also have five individual unisex toilets, including a disabled one with more baby-changing units.

The project is being managed on the city council’s behalf by Place Partnership Ltd, who appointed contractor Abbey and Lyndon to carry out the work.

Normal working hours on the site are 8am-5pm Monday-Friday, although there may be occasional working on Saturdays.

The Sons of Rest, formed in Birmingham in 1927, exist to promote social and leisure activities for men and women over the age of 60 who reside in the area.

There are Sons of Rest buildings in Gheluvelt Park and Cripplegate Park, with the existing Gheluvelt pavilion built in 1953.

Gheluvelt was awarded a Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence, in recognition of the consistently high marks visitors give it on the national reviews website.

In 2015 the park was placed in the top three best parks in the country in the national Fields in Trust awards.

Over the weekend, satisfied customers took home salvaged wood, sinks, windows, doors, floor boards and metal railings, to ensure the pieces of the famous pavilion didn’t go to waste.

The WRE Facebook page was being continually updated with photos of whatever was left.