Villagers in Sutton could be called upon in a bid to save its crumbling park.

Residents have been waiting for over a year for news of a lottery bid for thousands of pounds to give the park a major facelift.

Now parish councillors are considering taking action to repair damage in the Edwardian park before it's too late.

They will be discussing what steps to take when they meet next month and could be asking for volunteers to help with the work.

Parish council chairman Steve Morrell said: "A decision was taken late last year to set a deadline for the lottery bid to make some progress.

"Now that deadline has passed and, unfortunately, no progress has been made.

"We cannot sit around twiddling our thumbs indefinitely waiting for a nod and a wink from these people."

Sutton park was opened in July 1912 and still retains many of its original features, such as iron railings, benches and shelters.

But these have deteriorated over the years and left the parish council, as trustees, with constant bills for repair.

A list of alterations was drawn up which have been included in the lottery bid.

They include re-roofing the park lodge, timber panelling the Jubilee pavilion to match the shelters, repairing the paths, steps and metal work. Thousands of pounds has already been spent on installing new play equipment for the youngsters of the village.

Members of Sutton Parish Council will meet on April 3 to discuss the issue and what money can be set aside for any repairs.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.