THE Friends of Atherton Parks group has high hopes of two years of transformation work leading to North West in Bloom success.

The group has entered Atherton Park into the annual gardening competition after overseeing a host of improvements there.

They include the development of sensory and wildflower gardens as well as the redevelopment of the tennis courts.

New picnic benches are also set to be installed within a fortnight and permission has been granted for stones from Formby Hall to be transferred to the park once the historic community hub has been demolished.

Carol Roberts said: “When we first started the group it was not a nice park to go to.

“The condition of it was shocking and people did not feel safe walking through it.

“People who use the park now are telling us how much they appreciate the work which has gone into it.

“They tell us it is gorgeous place to visit now, which makes everything we do and have done worthwhile.

"We think the park deserves to win a North West in Bloom award and we have high hopes of it doing so."

£8,000 from Ambition for Ageing, £2,000 from Wigan Council’s The Deal for Communities Investment Fund and donations from members of the public have helped to pay for the improvements to the park.

The friends group has hopes of setting up a place to serve refreshments within the grounds.

It has also arranged for heritage tours to take place from September in which visiting schoolchildren will learn about the history of the park, which dates back to Victorian times when it served cotton mill workers and their families.

The group, which meets at the park at 10am on Sundays, is always looking to recruit more volunteers to help carry out its work.

Carol added: “We have people of all ages involved in volunteering for the group, from helping in the gardens to helping us to do the administrative duties to secure funding for different projects.

"Hours of work are dedicated to the upkeep of the park, with one of our volunteers, Alan Hale, carrying out work most days, and the progress made has been remarkable.

"Everyone involved is so knowledgeable about gardening and I have learnt a lot from them.

“It is so rewarding to be a part of something when you are giving so much to the community.”

The North West in Bloom results will be announced later in the year.

Anyone interesting in volunteering to help with the upkeep of Atherton Park should e-mail Atherton.residents@gmail.com, join the Facebook group Friends of Atherton Parks or simply turn up at the park at 10am on Sundays.