Plans to restore Daisy Nook Country Park are set to move forward this month when the Friends group formally signs an agreement to lead a community restoration programme.

The 40 hectare site in the River Medlock valley spans both Oldham and Tameside boroughs. Its canals supplied coal that powered Manchester's industrial revolution over 200 years ago, and in 2020 the park was the site of illegal raves attended by thousands.

On September 11, the Friends of Daisy Nook Country Park will formally sign an agreement to move the programme forward, working with the Hollinwood Canal Society to restore and regenerate the park. £120,000 of funds is set to be spent over the coming months to restore sections of the historic canal and a former boat pond.

The work follows improvements since 2024 to paths, community spaces, accessibility and repairs, as well as efforts to tackle invasive species such as Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam.

Mark Buchan Jones, chair of the Friends group, said: "We aren't recreating the past, we're giving Daisy Nook a future."

He said the group realised it needed external funding and described the park as "the jewel in Oldham's crown that wasn't getting any attention". People had come from Birmingham and elsewhere to see wildlife such as kingfishers, he said, while some who lived only a few hundred yards away had never visited.

Paul Carroll, a wildlife enthusiast, said protecting and improving habitats was key. "We need to try and make sure it remains a wild place," he said, adding that neglected parts of the park could disappear if the canal was not looked after.

Andrew Brooks, Reform UK councillor for Failsworth East, said the group would not turn the site back into a canal but wanted to keep its history visible. "We are trying to get it fit for the future so it will be there for 100 years before anyone else to worry about it," he said.

Once the agreement is signed, the community group will be able to bid for larger government grants to carry out further improvements across the park. Brooks said Reform was also looking at helping establish community groups across Oldham to improve other areas.