A Blackpool park's revamp got a Lotto extra help as the mayor launched a multi-million pound facelift.

Cllr Philip Dunne braved chilly sunshine to cut turf in Stanley Park's Italian Gardens, officially marking the start of a two and half year, £5 million restoration, funded largely by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Cllr Dunne was joined by Cllr David Owen, Blackpool's cabinet member for culture and leisure, and parks manager, Mark Scrivens, together with supporters from Friends of Stanley Park and Blackpool Civic Trust.

Caseys, the Rochdale based contractor carrying out the restoration work, also attended. The firm has spent several weeks surveying the drains around the Italian Gardens, ahead of work to restore the fountain, resurface paths, and repair nearby lattice fencing and colonnades, and the stone steps up to Stanley Park Cafe.

Cllr Dunne congratulated everyone involved in the HLF bid, adding: "The work really begins now in overseeing and making sure that we restore Stanley Park to its original Victorian beauty and peacefulness."

Cllr Owen also thanked the HLF for its £3.78million support, saying: "We have a park here which is second to none in the UK."

He added: "When the park was built it came as a result of major public investment.

"We shall have something again that we can see as its designer, Thomas Mawson, imagined. It's going to be a really big feather in Blackpool's hat."

Mark Scrivens said: "Today is quite an emotional day for me. To see the vision that we have worked on actually becoming reality is a great thing. I'm very excited and looking forward to seeing the pieces of the jigsaw falling into place over the next two and a half years."

He also thanked the Friends of Stanley Park for raising £100,000 towards the restoration work.

Mike Cafferley, director of Caseys, said the work was being planned to keep disruption to a minimum. The firm recently finished a two year revamp of Manchester's Heaton Park.

In the run up to the launch, volunteers were clearing up small island on Stanley Park lake ready for a new picnic area.

Members of the community volunteers group -- who all have learning or physical disabilities -- have cleared areas overgrown with shrubs, brambles and weeds, and want to install a family picnic area.