A VOLUNTEER group which has been working hard during the winter to keep Moss Bank Park in prime condition is looking forward to seeing the fruits of their labour.

The Friends of Moss Bank Park hold regular weekly maintenance sessions to spruce up the area and ensure it is looking its best when the summer months arrive.

They removed leaves and and dead plants from areas of the walled garden and in the rock garden as well as other areas.

The group has had a hardcore membership of about eight people who have helped through all the winter, working alongside the park's rangers to keep it in shape.

Mike Shuttleworth, one of the members of the group, said: "We have a few regular members and it is a long term commitment by the group to keep the park looking spick and span.

"We have some roses flowering now so this is when it all becomes worth it. It can be hard work in the winter months when it is cold and wet but it is very nice in the summer."

Smithills Cllr Roger Hayes, whose ward covers the park, paid tribute to the work of the group.

He said: "As councillors we have been in contact with the group for a number of years and it has received some funding from the council.

"They do a brilliant job in the park. They did some great work in the rock garden, bringing it back from a bad state previously.

"We need more groups like them, some people have been doing it for years and never expect any thanks, they just do it because they love it."

The park has also been boosted in recent years with the arrival of a new £500,000 cafe in 2014, which has also been used by community groups as a base.

The new eatery was built on the same spot as the old cafe, which was destroyed by a fire in 2009.

Council chiefs used insurance money from the previous cafe and an portion of its £2 million park investment scheme to build the new establishment.

The cafe took eight months to build and has seats for up to 50 customers plus an outdoor eating area.

A £300,000 upgrade of the tennis courts was also completed in June of 2014.