A dedicated group of volunteers who transformed an integral piece of village land from an abandoned wasteland into a community oasis have celebrated their 10th anniversary.
Friends of Slaithwaite Spa have helped return the leisure grounds to their former glory after years of neglect after it closed to the public in 1914.
Deciding to get together in 2004 to allow the beauty of the park to blossom once again, they have been working through all seasons to clear overgrowth, plant new plants and install benches for the benefit of residents and visitors alike.
And the fruits of their labour can now be clearly seen by all who now enjoy a stroll through the area, which runs alongside the River Colne.
Secretary of the friends group, Keith Saunders, who has been involved for the past eight years said: “The group has been fulfilling its main objective which was to restore the park since the spa finished before the war.
“All the buildings were sold off and it became totally overgrown and hardly recognisable so we wanted to clear it up so that everyone could use it once again.
“We’ve removed some of the larger trees and replaced them with smaller ones and other plants that bring more light into the park and have also completed several sections of dry stone walling, much of the time with some help from Kirklees.”
Over the years they have also given a glimpse back in time to how the park would have been used in the Victorian era, by hosting themed fairs and activity days, which included traditional country games like horse-shoes, gurning, bowling for a lamb, welly-wanging and a milk maid race.
And they have combined old with new by hosting events that have a more modern and multicultural ring, such as steel bands and barbecues.
In its 19th century hey day, the park was frequented by those who used its spa baths, bowling green and a roller skating rink.
Keith said: “We’ve been keen to put on activities that encourage more people to discover the park and have a special big event planned for September 2015, if we get funding for it.
This will bring lots of local organisations together to celebrate our industrial heritage and will involve a large planting session.
This will be a great fundraiser because we are not planning on applying for funding from Kirklees Council for the next couple of years due to cut backs.
“We’re always on the lookout for volunteers; people can email me at keithds@btinternet.com.”
