With work getting under way on the multi-million pound transformation of Holywells Park in Ipswich, the borough is looking for an army of volunteers to help with its transformation.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has granted £2.8million to go towards the transformation of the park, which will include creating a modern visitor centre from the historic stable buildings and orangery.

Now the borough is hoping to create a team of volunteers to help do work at the park as part of the lottery programme over the next few months.

The Holywells Park project offers the following opportunities:

n The Conservation Club: a group of volunteers carrying out practical conservation work and estate maintenance in Holywells Park. The club gets under way on September 18.

n The Horticulture Club: a group of volunteers that will plant up and maintain the horticultural areas of the park;

n Assisting at events that are held in Holywells Park;

n Helping with surveys, conducting questionnaires and a variety of wildlife surveys.

n Reception volunteers at the planned new visitor centre.

Liz Harsant, the secretary of the Friends of Holywells Park, said it was important to get more people involved, and she felt this had great benefits all around.

She said: “I think it is very important to get as many volunteers as possible to come along to the park – when I go to our local forum meetings I always ask if anyone is interested in volunteering in the park.”

She said the volunteering often appealed to older people for whom the social element was very important.

The park was granted the funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund in July and this should allow it to be restored and to become a much more attractive place for visitors.

As well as restoring the historic buildings and parkland, it will also allow the creation of a new open-air theatre, the construction of a new toilet block, the development of a fitness trail, and the creation of a new open-air classroom.