A Workington park is getting a £25,500 facelift.

Work has begun at Jubilee Park, which is next to Harrington Nature Reserve at the bottom of Moorclose Road.

The improvements will include re-surfacing of existing paths, creation of a new path to enable a circular walk, boundary fencing, new tree and shrub planting, creation of a wildflower meadow, seating and natural play features.

Money has come from the Government's Pocket Parks Plus programme, which was established to give communities the means to better maintain, protect and enhance green spaces. It will be supplemented by Allerdale council cash.

Around 150 community-led projects will receive funding to make improvements to bring parks back into use.

The Government grant was secured through the ongoing partnership between Allerdale council and the Friends of Harrington Nature Reserve, which was also instrumental in enabling the restoration of the nearby “rezzer” in 2018.

Jubilee Park is right next to the nature reserve, meaning there will now be improvements to even more outdoor space for local residents to enjoy.

Maureen Dolan, chairman of the Friends of Harrington Nature Reserve, said: “We’re delighted to continue our partnership working with Allerdale Borough Council to enable further improvements to be made to Harrington’s green spaces, following the restoration of 'the Rezzer' in 2018.”

Michael Heaslip, Allerdale council’s executive member responsible for environmental quality, said: ”Jubilee Park is a significant area of public green space, but is under-used and the infrastructure is in poor condition. Securing the Pocket Parks Plus funding will enable us to breathe new life into the park so that it becomes a real asset for the whole community to enjoy.”

The first phase of work, being undertaken by Mason Bros of Egremont, started on May 13 and will take around four weeks to complete. During this period the site will be closed to the public but in the meantime they can continue to enjoy the adjacent nature reserve.