Botanic Gardens in Churchtown

Botanic Gardens Community Association (BGCA) launch heritage match-funding appeal

To mark the 150^th anniversary of Southport’s Botanic Gardens, the Botanic Gardens Community Association is launching a public match-funding appeal.

All the funds raised will be spent on improving and conserving Botanic Gardens as part of an ambitious and long-term improvement and conservation scheme for the park.

The Botanic Gardens Community Association is a long-standing voluntary group, which oversees park maintenance and activities. It is working in partnership with Sefton Council on the appeal.

Together, the Community Association and the Council will use the funding to celebrate the Park’s historic importance and develop new attractions in line with the views and wishes of the local community.

These plans are based on the findings of an extensive public consultation carried out in 2023, which have been used to develop the detailed plans.

The new appeal focuses on raising money to deliver key priorities, which include conserving the Park’s deep heritage, enhancing inclusion, access, and participation for users, and restoring and supporting nature recovery and the environment.

Further information has been published on the My Sefton news site.

Donations

This appeal is a plea for support from generous local businesses, organisations, and individuals who are passionate about making a positive difference to the local community. Any individual or organisation that donates will be playing a vital role in preserving the historic, cultural, and social importance of Botanic Gardens.

The Community Association are looking to make a bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for up to £5m but need to find 10% match-funding. The target of the match-funding appeal is £500,000.

For every £1 you donate we are aiming to get an additional £9 by submitting a bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

To donate, people can head to the GoFundMe page and follow the donation process there. All monies raised will be going to the Botanic Gardens Community Association.

We'd like to say a huge thank you in advance to anyone who is able to support this appeal, whether that is by donating or helping to spread the word. It is much appreciated.

Donate

Botanic Gardens National Lottery Heritage Fund progress to date

Public Consultation

In 2022-2023, our Green Sefton service, working in partnership with the Botanic Gardens Community Association and others, ran a public consultation as part of ongoing works to develop the future of Botanic Gardens.

Green Sefton, with the support of Geonomics Ltd, funded by a National Lottery Heritage Fund pre-development grant, asked residents, regular park users, visitors, local school children, and the dedicated volunteer groups to steer the longer-term vision for the park.

Over 1,100 responses were collected as part of the consultation, which closed in June this year.

The public consultation gathered views on ideas to improve the park, and will guide how the Council will develop new attractions that would bring more visitors to the park, stimulating the local economy and creating new jobs.

The Council took the decision to explore the development of external funding bids for significant improvement works at Botanic Gardens. The consultation findings will help ensure that bid includes local people’s views and the results with be reported formally to Cabinet Member later in 2023 with a view to then seeking match funding for future bids in 2024 and beyond.

If successful, any funding could support the restoration of many of the park’s Victorian buildings, refurbish the wider park infrastructure and help the Council to fulfil improvement works, including development of new attractions.

Pre Bid Development Project Update

The Council have asked a specialist to look at the outsides of the buildings and other built items in the park to determine what is required to repair and restore these.

New information boards that explain the history of the park, such as, the elephant stones, the Fernery and the King Edward V playing field, were installed.

A programme of works has been developed for the improvements to the park, for which funding is being sought to allow Green Sefton to carry out the works.

As the Council doesn’t have the capital resources to fund these works itself, opportunities for grant funding are being explored in addition to the match-funding appeal. The most suitable funding streams have been identified, and subsequent bids will be submitted.

The overall funding required is expected to be up to £5 million. And because it is not likely that a single funder would meet the full costs anticipated, a phased approach is being adopted.

Over the past few years, short-term improvements have been made to the park, including the repainting of the mural, and the installation of two floating fountains that aerate the water in the lake. These works were delivered thanks to local volunteers and community fundraising from the Make a Change Group and BGCA.

About Botanic Gardens

Located in picturesque Churchtown, Botanic Gardens are nationally renowned for its floral displays and regular programme of events.

Botanic Gardens has achieved a coveted Green Flag award for its excellence as a park. The park is open 7 days a week, every day of the year.
Botanic Gardens Flowers

Facilities

As well as enjoying the hosts of flowers, lake and arboretum, there is a wealth of facilities on site. These include:

Features

Aviary
Play area
Toilets
Bowls green
Café, family-run, with a range of fresh home-made food
Banqueting Hall
Mini golf
Nursery shop, selling surplus park plants
Outdoor Gym

Gardeners and nursery staff are on hand in the shop for any floral questions.

Entrance is free
Dogs welcome on leads
Car park situated off Verulam Road/Balmoral Drive in Churchtown

To be involved in the success of the park you can join the Botanic Gardens Community Association.

Contacts
Email parks team