A PENDLETON park will be transformed into a classical paradise this weekend as thousands of music-lovers come to the city for Proms in the Park in Salford.

Irlam tenor Russell Watson will be performing with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in Buile Hill Park on Saturday, September 13 in front of 8,000 music fans.

Russell will serenade his home crowd of thousands with a set of six classic songs including Volare, Panis Angelicus, Swing Low and Nessun Dorma.

The BBC Philharmonic will perform a rousing programme of orchestral favourites including Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, an extract from Korngold’s The Sea Hawk, Bernstein’s The Great Escape, and the Montagues and Capulets (now popularly known as the theme tune for BBC TV’s The Apprentice) from Prokofiev’s famous music for Romeo and Juliet.

It is also hoped that people will offer their memories of Buile Hill Park, which could be transformed as part of a £5m bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund through the Parks for People project.

If the bid is successful, the money will be used to reintroduce such historical features as a lake, which was in the original 1870s design of the park and a performance area, in a new take on the once-popular bandstand erected in 1927.

It will also allow the development of new features such as a tropical house and heritage trail.

The bid has been able to progress now that planning approval has been secured to develop the currently derelict Buile Hill Mansion, which sits within the park, into a four-star hotel with conference and leisure facilities.

Buile Hill Park attracts up to 15,000 people every year with its annual bonfire event and more than 11,000 spectators braved the weather in April to attend the northern heat of the British Fireworks Championships.

Councillor Keith Mann, Salford City Council's lead member for environment, said: “Though not known to many, Salford is 60 per cent green space and we are proud to have parks of such historical importance as Buile Hill.

“It is our flagship park in hosting high profile and exciting events, but there is still so much more potential to unlock for the benefit of the local community and visitors from further afield. I encourage people to look at the plans and give us their views as well as their memories. It will help make our bid as strong as possible.”

Tickets are still available for 'Proms in the Park in Salford'. They can be purchased at www.visitsalford.info/proms or by calling 0844 888 4412.