Stadium bosses started the flow of donations for a project to turn the River Colne riverside into a five-mile park.

Kirklees Stadium Development Ltd, which manages John Smith’s Stadium, was the first business to pledge cash for the Greenstreams ‘Community Linear Park’ project.

The scheme, organised by Huddersfield Environmental Alliance, aims to turn the riverside from Milnsbridge to Cooper Bridge into a series of linked parks.

Areas selected include Snow Island, Spring Bank Estate, Bradley Mills; Dalton Bank Nature Reserve and Dean Wood, Armitage Bridge.

The alliance hoped to attract donations from businesses during a meeting at the stadium..

Present were Huddersfield MP and scheme patron Barry Sheerman, Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney and representatives from businesses and organisations including Cummins Turbo Technologies, Syngenta, Kirklees Council and the Women’s Institute.

The first to pledge cash was Gareth Davies, director of Kirklees Stadium Development Ltd (KSDL), who donated £1,000 to the scheme.

The scheme, which includes small sections of the rivers Holme and Calder, is budgeted at between £25,000 and £30,000. Once the project is underway, the alliance hopes to secure grant funding.

But voluntary practical help is as important – if not more important – than cash donations says Kathy Womersley, who is co-directing the project.

Ms Womersley hopes firms and organisations will volunteer labour for clearing undergrowth, planting flowers, improving pathways and installing signs.

She said: “The money covers the basic maintenance.

“It’s about getting groups and organisations to contribute to this idea of having a park along the river.

“That’s important because unless we have a mechanism for maintaining the sites we won’t get the grant funding.”

Founded in 1997, Greenstreams has created and improved over four miles of public access to the river and riverside green spaces around Huddersfield.

Greenstreams organises voluntary river and riverside improvement events for businesses and community groups.

For more information about Greenstreams and the Community Linear Park project call Kathy: 01484 428880 or email: kathy.womersley@environmental-alliance.org.uk.