A free event to celebrate improvement works at Memorial Park will be held on Sunday, August 18.

Picnic in the Park is a free event and will take place in Great Harwood between 12pm and 4pm and will feature live performances from Stacksteads Brass Band and ReAct Academy of Theatre Arts.

Children’s activities will include a treasure hunt, face painting, campfire marshmallows, nature walks and bug hunting.

Food and drink will be provided by La Bella Mozzarella pizza, picnic boxes from Brie Mine Cheese Deli, ice cream from Mrs Downson’s and drinks from the DC Coffee van.

This comes after the park received its first Green Flag last month after receiving significant investment from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Hyndburn Council and Lancashire Environment Fund.

Using £330,000 the Friends of Memorial Park, Hyndburn  Council, The PROSPECTS Foundation, Profitts – investing in community - and the Wade Group have worked hard on the project.

Gemma McMullan, charity assistant manager at The PROSPECTS Foundation, said: “There's been a lot of work undertaken at Memorial Park over the last 12 months, and the Picnic in the Park event is a fun way for people to see the improvements and celebrate everything that's been done.

Refurbishment work has included repairs to the War Memorial and upgrades to access, signage, railings, walls and gardens.

Improvements were also made to the woodlands as well as new bulb planting, nature walks and the creation of a forest school area with educational trails and resources.

Green Flag Status was awarded to an additional 10 parks in Hyndburn, setting a record for the highest number of any district in Lancashire.