Children at Dale Street, Padiham Road may now play freely on the new-laid grassland instead of on the unattractive wasteland which was once there.

It seems that spring has sprung in parts of Burnley for the first time in many years. Several patches of land in the Whittlefield Street and Padham Road area have been given a seasonal look, probably for the first time since the Industrial Revolution - albeit a temporary face-lift. Due mainly to the M65 motorway scheme, derelict houses and bleak wasteland areas have been pulled down to give way to more attractive grassland. There are approximately six development areas in all, four of which are on Padiham Road, the rest being in the Whittlefield and Stoneyholme districts

Understandably, the greenery is a welcome alternative to rows of boarded-up houses, even though this look will soon disappear under the new motorway. For a long time now, the borough council has been working hard to improve these areas, and now with spring here the daffodils are blooming.