TENS of thousands of pounds have been allocated to revamp a play park in a Furness town.

The North Lonsdale Road playground in Ulverston will benefit from a £20,000 grant.

Ulverston Town Council has been given the money by South Lakeland District Council as part of a Locally Important Project scheme.

The money came from the government's New Homes Bonus, which matches the council tax raised from new homes and properties brought back into use, with another £350 for each affordable home.

Ulverston Councillor Mark Wilson welcomed the cash boost for the park.

He said: "It is really important that we have somewhere for families to use.

"There have been a lot new homes built and it especially vital that people who move have somewhere to go.

"I am sure it will be well used and I'm really pleased that we will be getting the money for a refurbishment.

"It is a good way to use the money and will help people in the area."

Mr Wilson said he thought the money could be used to provide an intergenerational space for people.

That could include an area for infants, play equipment for children and multi-use ball games area for older children and teenagers.

He said he would like people in the community to suggest ideas for the park.

"It would great to hear people's ideas about what they would like to see in the park," he said.

South Lakeland District Council has invested almost a million pounds improving its parks and play areas over the past five years.

SLDC has contributed £529,000 in capital funding and a further £404,000 has been awarded to projects through the council’s Locally Important Projects (LIPs) fund which supports community initiatives.

The money comes at a time when a number of play parks under the control of Barrow Borough Council lost funding for insurance and maintenance as part of budget cuts.