British parks to benefit from grant

Six of the UK’s most used parks are to benefit from a £10 million grant given to help complete restoration projects.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the lottery-funded Parks for People programme is helping rejuvenate the green spaces, which are located in built-up areas around the country.

The biggest recipient will be London’s Lordship Recreation Ground, located in Tottenham in the north of the capital.

It will receive almost £4 million to help with its wide-ranging renovation programme, as officials hope to restore it to the magnificence of the 1930s when the park was first opened.

One of the major refurbishments will be the unique model traffic area, which was created in 1938 to teach local kids about road safety.

Local MP David Lammy told the RHS that it is "tremendous news" for residents".

"Lordship Rec is one of north London’s best green spaces and it was my local park when I was growing up, so I’m so happy the park’s future is being secured," he said.

Other beneficiaries will be Shropshire’s Telford Town Park, Wigan’s Mesnes Park, Mote Park in Kent, Whaley Bridge Memorial Park in Derbyshire and Cambuslang Park in South Lanarkshire.

Meanwhile, the RHS has recruited a new regional gardening advisor for schools in the north-west.