Over £3.7m grants have been confirmed by the Heritage Lottery fund to transform three parks across Scotland.

Over £2.6m is to be spent on improvements at Hawick's Wilton Lodge Park.

More than £500,000 is being put up for both Kelvingrove bandstand in Glasgow and Paisley's Grand Fountain.

The funding is being provided through the Parks for People programme.

Dean Castle Country Park in Kilmarnock will also be bidding for £3m towards improvements.

Colin McLean, head of the HLF in Scotland, said: "This has been a difficult time for parks with unrelenting pressure to manage budgets, so we are delighted to be able to bring some festive cheer.

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"Our parks, and the historic features within them, are a wonderful legacy from our ancestors which are enjoyed by all ages and are often a community's only green space in which to relax away from the pressures of daily life. That's why HLF is committed to protecting these precious places.

"We continue to champion parks, not just because they are an important part of our heritage, but because they make a huge difference to the quality of life for millions of Scots," said Mr McLean.

Scottish Borders councillor David Paterson added: "It is a beautiful park just now but with investment from the HLF and Scottish Borders Council we have the opportunity to restore some of the historic elements to secure their future, as well as introduce new attractions," he said.

Keith Johnston, from Friends of Wilton Lodge Park, remarked: "We are delighted that we have been an integral part of this successful project and look forward to work starting in 2013 to improve the park."

(IT)