Nature Garden Open Day invites people to have a say over its future

Food tasting, planting, and children’s activities will be on offer at Everton Park Nature Garden this Thursday when it hosts a special Open Day.

Everton Park Nature Garden is inviting people to visit and have a say over its future, after more than £150,000 has been ploughed into the North Liverpool green spot.

And it’s hoped eventually the nature garden will be open and more accessible to everyone in the local and wider Liverpool community instead of the limited groups, within set times, it’s available to now.

Everton West ward councillor Jane Corbett has co-ordinated the event and says: “It’s going to be a lovely day, the weather is looking good, and it’s a chance for people to come along, have fun, and help to shape the growth and use of the nature garden in the years and decades to come.”

She adds: “It was agreed a few weeks ago that £167,000 would be going into the nature garden from a Section 106 planning agreement. It’s a huge amount of money, and it means that it’s going to be set up and work really well for the next 30 years and beyond.”

The nature garden was created in the late 1980s as part of the third phase of the Everton Park development.

A walled area of the park close to the Great Homer Street end and towards the hill, it has three ponds, bridges, paths, overhanging trees, a wildflower field, and raised flower beds with seating, and it’s home to a host of wildlife.

But over the years it’s become old and tired, says Jane, and is massively in need of TLC.

The cash injection will mean that ponds and the stream can be cleaned and revamped, pathways can be refurbished or replaced, and it can become a popular destination and much-needed green area for the community.

Plans also include an all-year round teaching space, and children and wheelchair-friendly growing beds.

“We are also hoping that we can get back Green Flag status for the park once more,” says Jane.

The Open Day is being held in partnership with the neighbouring Shewsy Youth and Community Centre, West Everton Community Council, Liverpool City Council, Friends of Everton Park, Scouse Flowerhouse and Food For Thought, a not-for-profit school meals company which provides fun and educational outdoor learning and cookery workshops for its member schools there.

The Shewsy have created a questionnaire and survey people can take part in to have their say – “it will include what people think of the nature garden, how they think it should look, and how we can make it more accessible,” say Jane – and among the planting and food tasting activities, there will be free hot and cold drinks, and pancakes.

“The key thing is people can come into the nature garden, see how it is now, have a look around, and have some ideas of how we can make it better for the long term and revamp it with all of this money.”