After long weeks of waiting, and possibly thousands of campaigning tweets, a Surbiton community project has won up to £10,000 to revitalise Claremont Gardens.

The Surbiton Wildlife group hopes to bring the park's pond back to life and improve the grassy surrounds.

The money will come from insurers Aviva, and will go towards restoring the pond into a natural sanctuary for declining wildlife species. 

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Pond dips and nature walks will be offered to nearby schools once the work is completed, while future plans include redeveloping the garden's water feature.

Surbiton Wildlife Group's Tom Hooker said: "It seems like it's dragged on for months. It's quite a draining process. At first I was excited and relieved.

"Having got so much support from local schools, the council and the police there's a fair amount of weight on our shoulders.

"It was just brilliant to be able to prove that if you work together and everyone does their bit, we can achieve big stuff.

"We have already made initial contact with potential contractors.

"We're committed to doing annual maintenance. Once we've spent this money we want to make sure it lasts so we can avoid it getting back into the state that it's currently in.

In the immediate future, Surbiton Wildlife plans a root-and-branch clean up of the park, thanks to a £1,500 grant from City Hall.

Head along from 12pm to 6pm on Friday, July 17, for a preliminary litter-pick ahead of the big day on Saturday 18, which runs from 10am to 6pm.

To sign up, or for more information, contact surbitonwildlife@hotmail.com or search Surbiton Wildlife Group on Facebook.

Children must be supervised by an adult. Bring appropriate footwear; all equipment will be provided.