About 30 members of the Friends of Middleton Park group attended their AGM and public meeting last night – and welcomed demolition men from Berma Construction moving in to strip the inside of the Lakeside Centre.
As reported last week, work on the £2m improvements to the park has finally started which will see a new Lakeside Centre built and a host of other improvements to the historic park. Work was originally due to start earlier this year but had been delayed.
FoMP chairman Nick Rose congratulated all Friends members for the role they’ve played in securing the Heritage Lottery funding for the improvements, in partnership with the council and the Wade’s Charity. He said:
“We can give ourselves a pat on the back. It’s been a long wait but it’s fantastic news for south Leeds that work has started.”
Alan Shaw, of the Friends, said a number of events were planned in the park for 2012, including Oddsocks following up this year’s performance of Macbeth with their unique version of Julius Caesar, a schools’ heritage day, markign the 200th anniversary of Middleton Railway in June and history walks. Fomp has also approached re-enactment group The Sealed Knot Society.
FoMP trustees and the committee were re-elected unanimously at the AGM, which was also treated to a talk by potter John Hudson.
Jonathan Brown at the YEP has covered the story about work starting at Lakeside here today.