A THREE year campaign to introduce a peaceful haven to a Rossendale cemetery is finally to go-ahead.

Young Muslims have been working together with Groundwork Rossendale to produce a community seating area at Haslingden cemetery.

The project will provide an area for mourners and make the area easily accessible for elderly visitors.

Groundwork Rossendale will carry out the £9,000 development in the next couple of weeks and aims to complete it by March.

The plans are to provide a bench, a new access point and shrubs to make the area more attractive and help increase visitor numbers.

The youngsters from the Masjib-e-bilal Mosque, off Manchester Road, teamed-up with Groundwork to produce ideas for the design and plaques with Arabic pictures.

Catherine Pearce, Landcape Architect for Groundwork Rossendale, said: "It has been a long project but will be worth it when the work is completed.

"There has been a series of consultations taking place which have resulted in some quality designs."

The area leading to the Muslim section has been a problem for elderly residents who can't walk very far. A new access point will be installed to make it easier for people to access from the roadside.

Schools and youngsters from the local Mosque Workshop will get together to carry out planting sessions to help complete the project.

Mazhar Hussain, a spokesman for the mosque, said: "The idea is to involve and benefit all members of the community, which hopes to bridge gaps between young and old in differing cultures.

"It will be great to see the finished result because people from all walks of life have come together to produce something which we have wanted for a long time."