AN OSWALDTWISTLE park is set for a £2million investment which will include creation of a cafe and training kitchen.

Rhyddings Park has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) after help from Newground Together and Hyndburn Council.

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Plans include restoring the park's old Coach House so it can be used as a community meeting place, the creation of a social enterprise cafe which includes a training kitchen set up by Blackburn-based enterprise charity Bootstrap.

The kitchen and cafe alone and said to create around 600 training opportunities and a handful of new jobs.

The gardens will also be restored so they can be used by visitors for growing food and new Victorian style greenhouses will be constructed.

It is also hoped the cash will help create a performance space with help of Hyndburn Arts as well as an educational resource for schools.

Cllr Ken Moss, Hyndburn cabinet member for parks and leisure, praised the commitment shown by everyone involved in securing the funding.

He said: "This is absolutely fantastic news.

"I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen, including the Friends of Rhyddings Park, our parks staff, our partners Newground Together, the Civic Arts Centre team, Bootstrap Enterprises and Lancashire County Council.

"It is set to be an amazing facility for the residents of Oswaldtwistle and the whole of the borough of Hyndburn."

Building work is expected to begin in April and last around 12 months.

Neil Mooney, chair of the Friends of Rhyddings Park, said: “For the last 10 years Friends of Rhyddings Park has worked hard to build relationships that have enabled this bid to be so strong.

“With setbacks along the way the process hasn’t always been easy but we are now thrilled to be in a position where all the hard work of all the partners is coming to fruition."

Gayle Knight, creative director of the Civic Arts Centre, said: “The performance area will create a third stage for the Civic Arts Centre and Theatre.

"We’re also looking forward to having fun days and of course, the Carnival in a stunningly refurbished park.”

Newground Together and Hyndburn Council have been awarded a total of £1,389,308 by the HLF and BIG with match funding totalling £703,949 coming from the council, Newground Together, Lancashire Environmental Fund, Bootstrap Enterprises and Hyndburn Arts.

Peter Jordan, executive director of Newground Together, said: "Rhyddings Park has an incredible heritage and this project will have a firm nod to the past, while providing facilities expected of a modern park and a focus for training and community support that will provide benefits far beyond the park boundaries.

"This innovative project will give the people of Oswaldtwistle an invaluable community resource but will also provide an economic boost as we intend to use local contractors to help carry out the work."