WORK is taking place at the gatehouse in Corporation Park to try and open the facility for educational visits.

Members of the Corporation Park Supporters Group have been busy with bin bags at the ready and paintbrushes in hand to clear up the gallery and gatehouse site.

Danielle Clay, from the group, said: “The group has got a £2,000 grant to bring the gatehouse and gallery up to spec for educational purposes.

“We have been up there to prepare it and make it ready with some internal work going on.

“We are planning to have a Halloween party event on Tuesday, between 6.30pm and 8pm, to try to get people using the building again.

“It is a really good space for schools and groups to use and we would like to open a Remembrance Garden there too at some point.

“We are looking for a project manager that could help us get up and running.

“We have managed to clean and decorate the area up.

“If people are coming to the park then the gatehouse and gallery need to be open.

“Hopefully we can get some schools involved so they can come and learn about nature and, in the longer-term, we are trying to get the Conservatory repaired.”

Last month, the Lancashire Telegraph reported how the group is calling on members of the public to send in their best photographs of the park for a competition.

Danielle said: “We have had lots of interest in that, as they have been coming through to my emails.

“I am in the process of collating them all. But there have been some brilliant entries so far and they have come from a wide range of ages too.

“We are hoping that we can set all the photographs so they are on display in the gallery at some point when they have all been judged.”

Entries for the competition are still open and there are prizes of £60 for the winner, £30 for the runner-up and £10 for the third-placed entry.

It is an exciting time for the group as they try to get more footfall through the park.

But they need some help from the public.

Danielle said: “Quite a lot of people have been helping out with the decorating but we need some more people to join our group.

“With more members then we can do more too.

“There is a real community feel to the group and what we are trying to do.”

If you have any Park or Conservatory related issues you would like to discuss, please contact the group via facebook or email helen@corporationparksupportersgroup.com. Search Corporation Park Supporters Group on Facebook.