A £1.1m facelift is being planned to turn a vandal-hit cemetery into a colourful attraction for visitors.

A bid will be made for £700,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help revamp Linthorpe Cemetery, the largest area of woodland in Middlesbrough.

The cash will be used to help create a visitor centre, and an area for recitals, drama, talks and readings.

The cemetery, which dates back to use by the Quakers in 1668, is the town's oldest working burial ground.

"The combination of fewer burials, insufficient investment, reduced maintenance and vandalism has resulted in a decline in the appearance of the cemetery," officials say in a report to Middlesbrough councillors.

Since 1991, grounds maintenance budgets have been progressively cut.

The cemetery represents an important part of local history. It is the final resting place of Middlesbrough's 19th Century mayors, alderman, clerics, philanthropists and trades people.

The Friends of Linthorpe Cemetery are actively campaigning for its preservation.

A consultant brought in by Middlesbrough Borough Council and the Middlesbrough Environment City green issues partnership has come up with ideas for improvements, including an idea for a large mosaic.

Councillor Ken Walker, leader of Middlesbrough Council, said: "We are working very closely with Middlesbrough Environment City to ensure this piece of Middlesbrough's living history is preserved and that it's potential as a green wedge for town centre dwellers is maximised.''

The consultants have come up with 35 restoration proposals including converting an old mortuary chapel into a visitor centre to designing a new entrance, building new walls, repainting areas of the cemetery and creating a butterfly garden