There are big plans ahead for one of Weymouth's lesser known but most cherished green spaces. Laura Hanton finds out more.

LYING directly opposite Weymouth's RSPB nature reserve is the often forgotten Radipole Gardens, a haven of tranquility just a stone's throw away from the bustling Jubilee Close Retail Park.

Boasting a playground and tennis courts alongside picnic-friendly stretches of lawn and a beautiful orchard, Radipole Gardens is host to several events throughout the year, from the big summer fun day to the Halloween spectacular. Such events are organised by a dedicated quintet of individuals who make up the Friends of Radipole Gardens committee, supported by some 250 members.

Since 2017, the Friends have been working hard on a Heritage Lottery Bid, planning a huge renovation of the park and gardens. Success at stage one meant the group received £200,000 to spend on architects and surveyors, and had the means to employ a park development manager and a project manager to create their bid.

The final plans are set to be submitted in December this year. Success means the Friends will receive a whopping £1.4m to turn their ideas into reality - and they certainly aren't short of ideas.

Mike Goulden, chairman of the Friends and overseer of the Heritage Bid, has been working tirelessly on a plan which will transform the gardens for future generations.

"I've always lived here," Mike said. "This was my park when I was young, and then it was my kids'. Weymouth won't stop growing and if we don't protect places like this, they'll be gone."

One of the biggest issues at Radipole Gardens, which will be solved if funding is received, is the open space at the far end, which no longer drains properly and floods every year.

"It becomes like a great big pond in the winter," Mike explained. "And it's very uneven from where people have walked, which makes it unsafe."

The Friends are also seeking to replace the old-fashioned playground structures with more natural playthings, such as tree trunks carved into crocodiles or circles of logs made into stepping stones. "We want it to be less about mass-produced slides and swings and more about encouraging children to use their imagination," Mike said. "And we're proposing a water jet feature where the paddling pool used to be."

Yet the development which prompts the most excitement is the prospect of a heritage café and an accompanying toilet block.

"The biggest problem now is that people leave very quickly due to there being no toilets," Mike explained. "The café will display information about the history of the gardens and the surrounding area, as well as offering activities for children about the wildlife and nature. It would also generate some much-needed income from the leasehold."

Currently, most the gardens' income is raised at events, with anything else coming from small grant bids submitted by the committee. For example, the Friends recently received £3,000 from Weymouth Town Council, plus £1,000 from Tesco's Bags of Help programme.

Plans are also underway to develop a sensory garden within the park, and the Friends are currently fundraising to reach their £20,000 target. Michelle Brown, a garden designer from Weymouth and a silver medal winner at Chelsea Flower Show, will be designing the garden alongside students from Kingston Maurward College near Dorchester.

"We want to offer the garden to different groups, such as those supporting people with learning disabilities or dementia," Mike said. "We're hoping people will adopt a patch and look after it."

Other developments will include removing old fences, replacing pathways and planting more wild flowers.

Sue Hogben is the secretary, historian and publicist of the Friends committee, running engagement stalls at events and working on social media to raise awareness of the gardens. She said: "A lot of people have no garden, no outside space, nowhere to escape. We have a lot of plans and ideas. We want young children to grow up with a feeling for their park; that way, they'll respect it more."

Mike added: "Not every family can afford days out, so to have an open space to enjoy - that's free - is great. When people have grown up in the area and this garden has been part of their life forever, they want to save it."

There is no guarantee that the gardens will receive the funding, but if the bid is successful, work is likely to begin in 2021.

In the meantime, the Friends are appealing for more people to get involved. Mike said: "We need a bigger committee; one of our members is resigning so there'll only be four of us. It would be great to have more of an age range, too. We've always said we'll change our meetings to any time to fit anyone!"

For a slightly lesser commitment, it costs only £10 per household for a lifetime membership to the Friends group. All money raised goes towards projects within the park and gardens.

For more information about the Friends of Radipole Gardens, including details of events and how to get involved, visit www.radipoleparkandgardensfriends.wordpress.com.

To find out more about the National Lottery Heritage Fund, go to www.heritagefund.org.uk