Work on the project is expected to start in summer 2012 and a range of improvements will be made so the local and wider community can use and enjoy the park.

The pavilion will benefit from a complete overhaul that offers better access, new catering facilities, a veranda and an area for outdoor events. The park entrances will be improved, the railings and gates renovated, footpaths upgraded and new gardens created. There will be new seating areas, better lighting across the park and a new bandstand for outdoor performances.

Cllr Cynthia Ransome, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “I am thrilled by this announcement. This project will transform Bentley Park into a wonderful setting that the whole community can enjoy and benefit from. The plans will see the restoration of some lost historic features and provide a range of new attractions that offers something for everyone.”

Cllr Charlie Hogarth, Ward Member for Bentley, said: "It is a great honour for the Bentley area and Doncaster that the Heritage Lottery Fund has recognised the benefits these improvements to Bentley Park and Pavilion will bring to the residents of Bentley and the surrounding area. It is a credit to all persons involved in this successful bid. Things are already starting to happen in Bentley with the building of the myplace youth facility well on its way and I am sure these two programmes will complement each other. The Pavilion was gifted by Bentley Miners and it is fitting that many of them will benefit from the project while the younger generation will enjoy the new myplace facility.”

Fiona Spiers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Bentley Park is an important green space in the heart of Bentley and has played a key role in the lives of local residents for over 80 years. The Heritage Lottery Fund is delighted to be supporting this project that will transform Bentley Park into a place that even more people can use and enjoy.”

A Friends of Bentley Park group has been re-established which meets on a monthly basis to share photographs and stories of Bentley Park.

Notes to editors

• The park opened in 1923 and the pavilion opened eight years later in 1931. The development was primarily funded by the Bentley Miners Welfare Fund and designed to be a venue for entertainment, sport and play for Bentley residents set within attractive gardens. Facilities included a bandstand, tennis courts, bowling greens, sandpits and a children’s play area. Parts of these features remain today but in a poor and sometimes unusable condition.
• The Parks for People programme uses Lottery funds to support the regeneration, conservation and increased enjoyment of public parks. The programme aims to improve the local environment and put parks firmly back at the heart of community life. In England the two Lottery Funds have been working in partnership from 2006 to deliver a multi-million pound investment in public parks of £150m. Over the period 2006-9, the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) invested up to £80m (in England only) with £70m coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the UK.
• HLF is continuing to fund public park projects in 2011/12 with an investment of £20m each year. The next closing date for applications is 28 February 2012.
• Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported over 30,000 projects, allocating £4.7billion across the UK. 

Further information

Write to: Doncaster Council, 1st Floor, Council House, College Road, Doncaster DN1 3AJ, phone: 01302 862 351, email: julian.cotton@doncaster.gov.uk.