DISUSED former tennis courts have been transformed into an oasis of peace and tranquillity by the creation of a new village green.

Following 10 months of hard work and more than £40,000 in funding, the old Bank Top tennis courts site is now a valued community space for rest and relaxation.

Last night, the green was officially opened with a quintet from Smithills Brass Band, planting events, boules matches and willow sculptures.

Bank Top Brewery owner John Feeney, who turned the old tennis pavilion into a modern brewery,

produced a celebration ale to mark the event.

A performance from the award-winning Smithills Brass Band started the official opening of the green at Bank Top, off Ashworth Lane in Astley Bridge.

Cllr Cliff Morris, the Mayor of Bolton, joined ward councillors and residents to celebrate the opening.

Local children enjoyed wild flower planting and wicker sculpting, while older residents took a tour of Bank Top Brewery and played boules on the newly created community space.

There was also an historical talk on Bank Top and the cotton mills of Astley Bridge. More than £40,000 from the Countryside Agency and Big Lottery Fund has been spent on turning the playing courts, off Ashworth Lane, into a space the public can use for play, exercise, relaxation and fun.

The scheme began after residents demanded action when the tennis courts, built in 1923, became disused.

Ward Cllr Hilary Fairclough said: "The transformation is absolutely marvellous. This area was such an eyesore for a long time, but now people can be proud of this beautiful area."

Nick Moule, of Bank Top Community Group, said: "We now have a fantastic green space which everyone can enjoy.

"The people of Bank Top have been heavily involved in the scheme, but we have to thank Bank Top United Reformed Church for its help and support, as well as Bolton Wildlife Project and the council."

Bank Top was created in the 1830s as a model village by the Ashworth family, a mill-owning family in the 19th century, to provide decent housing for mill employees.

It is now a designated conservation area.

In 1923, tennis courts were added and for the next 70 years, it was a thriving tennis club. But by the mid 1990s it fell into disuse and the courts and pavilion became eyesores.