LOYAL Shakers descended on Gigg Lane at the weekend to begin a clean-up operation as they look forward to seeing football at the historic ground again.

Plans are in place to transform Bury FC's spiritual home into a 12,500 seater ground which will be an asset for the whole community, with a 3G pitch and community gym, classrooms and health facilities.

The club was purchased by the Bury FC Supporters Society working with Est 1885, helped by UK government levelling up funding, US investor Peter Alexander and others, and a Bury Council pledge.

And volunteers came to the stadium in large numbers, in four sessions, over the weekend to begin to spruce up the venue.

Among those in attendance was Joy Hart. The vice chair of the supporters society and daughter of club legend Les Hart chained herself to the ground in protest against the former owner refusing to sell the club in 2019.

She said: "I have got a lot of history at this club. My father was here for 44 years.

"The stand is named after him, the Les Hart Stand. I will do everything I can to see football played again at Gigg Lane.

"It will be wonderful - we have got out club back. Bury Football Club is alive and it is all systems go.

"It is not the first time we have had volunteers here but last time the EFL tried to close us down.

"We are not quite back from the dead, we have always been alive, just not playing football, we have got our history."

Also involved in the clean-up were father and son Ian and Callum Gaffney and friend Steven Fitt.

The trio shared their memories of the club and what it would mean for them to have it back.

Mr Fitt said: "I have been supporting Bury for 61 years. I can remember coming down for my first game, my uncle brought me down in the car.

"I said 'where are all these cars and buses doing?'. They were going to Gigg Lane.

"It would be fantastic to have fans back."

Callum Gaffney said: "I have been a fan all my life, 32 years. I got taken down when I was two weeks old. I would not change it for the world - it is everything."

He said his favourite moments were promotions, beating Cardiff 3-0 and beating Manchester City at Maine Road.

He said of the last of these: "Paul Butler scored on 52 minutes, we beat them on Valentine's Day, it was a header."

Ian Gaffney added: "I have been a fan for 57 years. If we come back it will be my Saturday routine back.

"I got rid of Sky and I got rid of football, I watched England at the Euros but apart from that football doesn't interest me without Bury."