A park is getting new lease of life with councillors and the local community banging the drum for it.

The first in a series of improvements is all but complete at Heywood Park in Great Lever, with the bandstand getting a fresh new look.

More changes are on the way.

Ward councillors, Richard Silvester, Linda Thomas, and Akhtar Zaman are working to revamp the well-used area.

The bandstand has been painted thanks to a community payback group,  marks the start of the work, which will also include an upgraded play area, improved pathways, and grass cutting.

Cllr Thomas said: “This park has become part of our ward boundary, and we have all been going there and have seen the youth centre used by the veterans going on a Saturday morning.

“But it needs renovating and some money spent on it.

The Bolton News: Cllr Richard Silvester, Cllr Linda Thomas, Cllr Akhtar Zaman

“So, it will be refurbished, and new equipment and pathways will be done.

“The bandstand was all very corroded, and it is quite a focal point and the community payback team offered to paint it.

"We thought it was a good idea and would be nice to play some music there and it was really the first thing to do before we improved it.”

Cllr Thomas hopes the work will be looked after by the residents who frequent there and would like to see the area renovated.

She said: “If it was improved then more people will use it and look after it.

“It will be nice for the people using the centre for it to look nice and it is important that you have these things for the community so they can go sit there and chat.

“It has always been a well-used park but over the last few years it has not been improved.

“This is a smaller park but just as significant.”

Alongside the improvements, Cllr Thomas says she would like to see a Friends of Heywood Park group started once things were looking back.

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Cllr Thomas said: “Hopefully other things will start to be improved on it such as litter picking as well.

“We know the park is used and you want it to look nice if you have people coming from all over as the veteran’s morning can be attended any visiting veteran in the country.

“We have not got mega bucks to do with, but we are looking at pocket parks and how we can improve these areas as it is important to an area to look after the outdoors.”