Plans to refurbish Mesnes Park in Wigan are set to move ahead following a £1.8m award from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund via the Parks for People programme.

Stage one of the Mesnes Park restoration project will include the regeneration of the historic bandstand, pavilion, shelter, Dalton Steps and main pathways, as well as a revamped play shack and new training centre.

A dedicated park ranger will also be put in place.

Work on site is scheduled to begin in late spring 2008.

Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s chief executive, Rodney Hill, said: “We are delighted that this funding has been approved; it is validation from the Heritage and Big Lottery Funds of our passion for parks.”

Cllr Brian Baldwin from Wigan Council added: “Mesnes Park is a much loved green oasis, but after generations of use it is in need of restoration. The passion we all share for the park is beginning to pay off and its legacy will be a green space in the centre of Wigan we can all be rightly proud of.”

The organisers can now bid for second phase funding in spring 2008, in the hope of bringing the total investment to £6m.