RESIDENTS of Oakdale, Poole turned out, spades at the ready, to help dig their own park.

They are helping transform a frequently flooded open space in Christopher Crescent into the borough’s newest park.

Stanley Green Park is the name of the new area and residents were urged to help Borough of Poole’s greenspace team with a bit of manual labour.

Among them was Cllr Ian Potter of Oakdale, whose daughter Elizabeth, nine, loved digging in some of the 740 plants and spreading mulch.

Around 150 youngsters from Stanley Green First and Oakdale South Road Middle schools have already helped, adults with learning difficulties supported by the Community Outreach and Support Team took part, and other community days are planned.

“It’s really beginning to take shape,” said Cllr Potter. “It should be opening in May. It’s definitely looking better.”

He added: “Hopefully the community will like it. There is even talk of a community garden there.”

The open space was a flat area of grass but with the help of funding from developer contributions and Poole Housing Partnership, a totally different environment is being created.

A natural habitat for wildlife will include wild flower meadows, grass meadows, flowering trees and shrubs, with the aim of bringing nature into the community.

There will be a formal ball court to keep games within a designated area and plenty of space to walk dogs, together with informal seating areas.

Trees are also to be planted at the park, which is the latest to be modernised in Oakdale in a programme which extends back 10 years.