VOLUNTEERS have turned round their village park – but there’s still plenty to do.

Now the voluntary group is urging others to join them and help revamp Marsden Park.

The Friends of Marsden Park (FoMP) was formed three years ago to improve the Peel Street facility.

The group chairman Christine Martindale, said the park was not an inviting place to visit back then.She said: "The park was becoming very tired. It was a dark place with lots of over-grown and mis-shaped trees and bushes. It was very intimidating, especially for people walking through on their own."

And FoMP soon discovered that many people were not even aware of the park – despite it being situated near the centre of the village on the corner of Manchester Road and Peel Street.

Mrs Martindale, 60, said: "We carried out a questionnaire during Jazz Festival weekend and we were surprised that a lot of people from Huddersfield didn’t even know there was a park in Marsden."

FoMP’s first priority was to get Kirklees Council to brighten up the park.

Mrs Martindale said: "There were a lot of holly and rhododendron bushes, everything was dark green. The council removed a lot of the trees and bushes which really opened up the park and made it more inviting."

More improvements followed. Mrs Martindale said: "They repaired the fountain which had been put into storage after it had been damaged. It had been donated to the park a long time ago by the Women’s Temperance Society.

"They’ve also repainted and repaired the bandstand and added lights in the roof so it can be used for a carol concert.

"The rockery was totally stripped out and huge pieces of stone were put in. It was a really big job. It just looks so clean now."

However, the economic downturn convinced FoMP members that the group could no longer simply lobby Kirklees for improvements.

Mrs Martindale, who lives on Marsden Lane, said: "The recession has hit everyone, so it’s a question of whether the money will be available.

"We became a registered charity a year ago so as we can apply for funding ourselves."

And the group have plans for further improvements ahead of the park’s centenary in 2012.

Mrs Martindale said: "The beds and the path along the bottom just off Manchester Road need a lot of repairs.

"We’re also hoping to extend the children’s play area so we can put more equipment in and we’ve got a lot of planting planned next year."

FoMP, which has eight members, is on the lookout for more volunteers. Mrs Martindale said: "Everyone in the village is right behind us, though they might not come to the meetings."

Anyone interested in helping FoMP can call Mrs Martindale on 01484 843 048 or come to one of the group’s meetings, which take place at Marsden Mechanics Hall at 6.30pm on the last Tuesday of each month.