We have continued with our regular projects:-

Monthly litter picks, which are usually well attended, so thanks go to those who join us on the first Sunday of the month.

Project Poo is ongoing where we encourage dog owners to behave responsibly and respectfully and to pick up after their dogs – phase 1 is to remind owners that they can put poo bags in general litter bins, we have now stencilled all the bins to remind everyone.

We had to abandon the rose bed near Clarendon Road as we failed to attract a volunteer to care for it and the weeds finally claimed it.

We still maintain planters under the noticeboards and, nearby, on streets around the park – thanks again to volunteers.

Planting of bulbs and foxgloves in the park continued, to provide a little colour.

Our constant campaign to restore and continue the central avenue of trees remains a constant and is meeting with some success, as and when Liverpool City Council can fund this expensive proposition.

A project which is entirely initiated by the Friends is the toddlers’ wooden play area and this needs continuous maintenance and renovation – again thanks to the volunteers who do this. Members are always delighted to see families enjoying it.

Another ongoing ambition had been to see two benches re-instated which had been removed because of anti-social behaviour in their original location. These were benches for which the Friends had fund-raised as one their first actions on formation, so it was gratifying to see them back in use.

In terms of events, we supported the annual Garston Park Fun Day, organised by Long Lane Church. This enables us to meet members of the public and supporters, but rarely do any of them become members! Still, we feel the local community is gradually becoming more aware of the Friends group and aware that there are people who care for the park. Our social media figures substantiate this. Whilst not huge, they maintain a steady increase, month by month.

Liverpool City Council are of course the owners of the park, and we enjoy good relations with the Parks department and their contractors. A new system of Neighbourhood Officers was instituted in 2024, and our local officer has not only visited us but continues to be of great help. Local councillors are also aware of our work and support us, even financially, through neighbourhood funds when they can.

The Friends group is a very small group of enthusiasts who give of their time and expertise. There is always much more to be done than we can realistically aspire to, so all volunteers are most welcome on projects, working parties and the main committee.

On a wider front, Friends of Garston Park belong to the Friends groups’ umbrella group Liverpool Parks Friends Forum. This body aims to support Friends groups, and parks and green spaces in general in Liverpool, and is currently campaigning to support the Council’s commitment to put parks and green spaces into a Trust in perpetuity in order to protect them for future generations. As someone recently pointed out, small parks like Garston are often of more value than the large heritage parks, in community terms, as many of the small ones are visited daily and regularly, rather than as a destination for a trip out. We make our contribution to the patchwork of provision towards supporting mental and physical health and to formal and informal recreation.