Revamped park ready for summer crowds; Final touches after long refurbishment

Byline: NEIL ATKINSON

The restaurant will be run by Kirklees Council's in-house caterers.But the massive revamp of Huddersfield's historic Greenhead Park is now nearing an end.Police are today investigating a spate of garden raids in which rare, expensive ornaments were stolen.Ornamental grassesNewspaper"We expect the final touches to the conservatory to be made over the next few weeks, so that this and the restaurant can open in time for the summer holidays.Anyone with information about the thefts should contact Northumbria Police on 0345 604 3043 ext 69191.CAPTION(S):STALKING the streets at night, this suspected garden raider was caught on camera."The brand new children's play area is proving to be a great hit, as are the new lake and fountain.The revamped bandstand and cafe have been welcomed by many visitors and the addition of railings and gates have returned the look the park would have had before railings were removed for their metal in the Second World War.Working on a piece of newspaper, lay one sheet of waxed paper down and arrange the leaves, grasses, and flowers as desired.Kirklees Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund are spending pounds 5.4m revamping the park.And raids have taken place over the past week, in which a stone bird bath, a bench, an ornamental cherub birdbath, two stone owls, a stone frog, stone horse's heads and a statue and lamp were taken.Sprinkle crayon shavings all over the sheet of waxed paper, so that when you iron the sheets together, they will completely stick together.Final touches to the outstanding projects are expected to be ready for the start of the school summer holidays in late July, although the main grassed area will not be available for events this year.Due to the size and weight of some of the items, police believe the thieves may have needed a car or van to shift them.A council spokesman said: "With work on the lotteryfunded scheme now almost complete, we've been delighted to see so many families making the most of the good weather and flocking in their thousands to enjoy the refurbished park and its new facilities."The items are unusual and some are difficult to move, with most being stolen overnight. It's possible those responsible had a vehicle and that some of them are linked," he said.That's it! These leaf collages look great hanging in a window as a pretty fall decoration. You could also hang them on the refrigerator, frame them, or even use them as placemats.Since the end of March there have been around 10 thefts from gardens the Walbottle, Callerton and Lemington areas of Newcastle.Old cheese grater

* REVAMP: The park gates at Park Drive South, above, open on to the new children's play area and, left, the park cafe which has also been upgraded as part of the park refurbishment Pictures by Julian Hughes (JH030511Dpark) * NEW FEATURES: The park lake and, above, the conservatory which will house a restaurant (JH030511Dpark-06/05) Purchase: www.examiner.co.uk/buyaphoto 01484 430000 ext 7778