Activities galore for revamped park
VOLUNTEERS are busy organising a ‘phenomenal’ programme of activities ready for the completed refurbishment of Rhyddings Park this summer.
Ann Warrington, Friends of Rhyddings Park (FoRP) chairperson, said they want to make the groups and events ‘inclusive for everybody’ with most ‘low cost or free’.
The well-used Oswaldtwistle park is undergoing a £2 million transformation which is set to be complete by July.
The landscape works include a woodland glade, community orchard, ornamental flower beds and a performance space.
Work has also ‘started in earnest’ on the old Coach House which is being extended to include a cafe and community hub, a kitchen garden and a Victorian-style glasshouse.
Ann said they are looking to provide a wide range of activities covering arts, crafts, performance, mental health support, music and dance, knit and natter, sport and a ‘boot camp’.
Speaking at a recent public meeting, she said: “The landscaping work is pretty much finished. There’s some reinstatement to happen after the building work which means all the ground that is still dug up gets put back nicely.
“The major work at the moment is the coach house. It’s really exciting.
“What’s really important is that the Friends now work with our partners to make sure what happens in the park is going to be phenomenal.
“At the moment things look like they maybe a little quiet but we are beavering away in the background making as many connections and getting hold of as many people as possible so when we get to a point where the coach house is finished we are going to be in a position to launch a programme of activities.”
Ann said there will be a couple of employed staff in park, however more volunteers and supporters are still needed to get the activities ready.
She said: “We want anything that is inclusive for people. I’m very keen to get that little old lady who sits on her own seven days a week and getting her to a knit and natter group. We are going to try our best to make it fantastic.”
A council spokesperson said: “It’s absolutely wonderful to see the rejuvenation and restoration of this historic and much loved old park, with the new community hub and café set to bring in visitors old and new.”
To help FoRP email rhyddingspark@yahoo. com or visit their website.