A HISTORIC first will take place in Poole over the Jubilee weekend when two waterfront recreation grounds are given Royal protection.

Baiter and Whitecliff recs are the first in the town to become Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust as part of a national campaign spearheaded by Prince William.

The occasion will be marked by ceremonies at each of the two sites, with a procession and a marching band linking the two and the public invited to bring along a picnic.

The Duke of Cambridge is lending his backing to a campaign to protect 2,012 open spaces in the Jubilee year. Parkstone Bay Association promoted the idea for Baiter and Whitecliff and won support from the Borough of Poole for making the sites the first Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust in the borough.

Tuesday June 5 will see a dedication at 11.15am at Baiter, where a Purbeck stone plinth with a commemorative plaque will mark the occasion at the entrance to Harbourside 1 car park. The VIP guests will then process behind the Dolphin Marching band to Whitecliff, where a similar plinth will be at the entrance to the car park, and another dedication will take place at noon.

Although there has not been time to arrange an events licence for the day, organisers hope people will bring picnics and enjoy a host of sporting activities during the afternoon.

The association also hopes the event will prompt more people to join its number and get involved in overseeing the parks.

Tuesday’s ceremony marks the end of hostilities between the association and Poole council, which had been set for a legal battle over the association’s bid to protect the sites instead as a Town or Village Green.

Eunice Marsden, vice-chairman of the Parkstone Bay Association, said: “Both sides have signed this and it’s like a contract to say it will only be used for recreational purposes.

“If the council wanted to change it substantially they would have to get permission from the Fields in Trust to do it.”

The designation also means supporters can apply for grant money for the fields.