Another year has passed and our tiny, voluntary group has continued to help preserve and promote the park. Our regular activities include a monthly litter pick, maintaining planters both in the park and nearby in the neighbourhood; we’ve instituted a rose bed near Clarendon Road entrance; we plant trees and wild flowers and commissioned and maintain a children’s wooden play area. Over the past year we have also introduced some new projects of which more below.

Project Poo is an ongoing campaign to encourage dog owners to pick up after their dogs, both in the park and in the roads as they approach the park. We try to ensure that pet owners know they can use any litter bins to dispose of their poo bags and are grateful to those who do.

The wooden play area is checked each month by a committee member and is repaired and maintained by us at our expense. It is lovely to see children enjoying it especially as we have just installed some new pieces.

Liverpool City Council is of course the owner of the park and we work closely with them and are grateful for their support in our ambitions. At long last, most of the central avenue of trees, which used to be the identifying feature of the park, has been replaced; the entrance path from the car park, alongside the bowling greens has been improved to try to avoid the awful flooding which occurs regularly.

To be recognised as a legitimate Friends group, the council introduced an annual health check for groups and we have complied with this and are fully recognised as a park friends group.
Thanks are also due to local councillors who support us. We receive neighbourhood funding to help maintain planters in the neighbourhood and a great deal of volunteer time is expended on these. Councillors have been instrumental in liaising with the youths who have pioneered a bike track over the mound behind the five a side pitches. Plans are ongoing for formalising this in as naturalistic and safe way as possible.

A new feature of our activities in 2025 was the introduction of nature walks. A bio blitz comprising mostly of a bug hunt was very popular, followed by bat walks. We hope to follow these up in 2026 with more of the same and the addition of tree and bird identification sessions. There is an amazing diversity of flora and fauna in the park and we are anxious that local residents get the opportunity to explore it. Thanks are again due to parks staff at LCC for their vital help with this project.

Several committee members underwent First Aid training during the year so that we can have first aid cover at any events, including litter picks, that we have.

The committee members are the backbone of the group and have taken on more over the year as the Chair has had to do less. It is difficult managing competing and often conflicting demands on the space and we hope we steer a reasonable course through these demands.