Corporation Park Blackburn

Partnerships and events

The New Ground Together and the Our Community Our Future bids were both successful; the funds of almost £2,000 were used to promote the ‘Love Your Park’ campaign which included renovating the veranda and the gatehouse so they can be used by us and community groups to promote social integration.

A Grand opening of the renovated gatehouse and the photographic exhibition took place on the at the gatehouse. The photographic competition was promoted by our social media platform and the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and there were 32 entries with a high number of quality photos submitted. The event was well attended. We were pleased to have our mayor Cllr Jim Shorrock and Consort Mark Joyce attending the event who presented the prizes.

An International Women’s day event on the 8 March took place; it was a great day with rock painting, a mindfulness walk and a plant sale. We were even graced with the presence of a couple of lads called the Neferti Brothers (famous on Tik Tok) who were practicing a dance routine!

It was at this point lockdown 1 happened so all planned events for 2020 were all cancelled.

Links were made with One Voice and some of the one voice team assisted with the Halloween event (and remembrance Sunday).

The CPSG had a table for 12 at the Annual One Voice Dinner in March, as we were shortlisted for the 1V institute of the year 2020, we all got dressed up in our best finery and a good time was had by all. We didn’t win but we had been shortlisted.

Contact has been made with the Arts to Heal group and the Abu Hanifa foundation, which are our links for the ‘Love Your Park’ project.

The Conservatory.

The CPSG are continuing to work with the BwD council team by developing the prospects to find a solution for the conservatory, a public consultation day is still in the planning to gain a wider opinion base and we hope to put this out as soon as the lockdown/restrictions are over. Other avenues for funding and partnerships are being sought by the CPSG in addition to the Heritage lottery fund.

A visit was made to Alexandra Park in Manchester by three members of the CPSG in February to check out the set up there with the café, and see the restoration of the pavilion for ourselves. An option is to have a café in the park but the public consultation phase will see if this is something people would like.

Access Ability.

The Access Ability project are working with some amazing individuals who have Autism, and are creating chances and changing lives to help them into employment. The CPSG have been in the park with these individuals on Wednesdays working with them on projects such as litter picking, and assisting with the ‘Feed the birds, not the rats’ campaign. ‘Feed the birds, not the rats’ campaign;
A CPSG initiative, to stop users of the park feeding the bird’s waste food, for example rice, curries and chapattis. Leaflets were designed by the CPSG and packets of bird seeds handed out to the park users. Leaflets were also hand posted to nearby properties. On16th July on the Community platform UCTV a member of the CPSG spoke with Anjum Anwar to promote the ’feed the birds not the rats ‘campaign.

Safety in the park.

A funding application for CCTV and signage surrounding the gatehouse and remembrance gardens via the Police Crime Commissioner was successful, and the new CCTV system is being was installed in November.

A letter from the CPSG in September was written to the ward councillors regarding the issues of youths drinking alcohol, smoking (quite frankly horrible smelling) Cannabis, eating takeaways and discarding rubbish and generally causing unacceptable ASB. For example, a 1/4 bottle of gin was discarded in the grass which if a child had drunk it could have had serious consequences. These activities are also in very public places where families have kids playing. Smashed bottles are left on paths where dogs can get cut paws resulting in expensive vets bills. The only activities are litter pickers but other options are being considered but ultimately is
education of the people discarding litter.

Promoting the facilities in the park during lockdown:

A team of CPSG volunteers along with the park staff cleared the top two tennis courts of the rotten plastic tennis lines, nails, glass, rubbish, weeds, and cut back the overgrown shrubs. In July the CPSG spent £500 (from our fund raising pot) on new tennis nets, tennis posts and winders to refurbish the three bottom tennis courts. A further sum is being spent on new basketball hoops and nets for the multi user area next to West Park Rd.

Dog agility lessons.

The upper and lower disused tennis courts were cleared of weeds and rubbish by the CPSG and parks staff so it could be used for weekly dog agility courses by St Thomas Dog Obedience Training Club who normally train at St Francis Church, Witton.
In May 2020 we put up around the park some ‘Love Your Park’ A4 posters to promote the work we do as a group.
The four stolen Discovery trail plaques (which we paid to be remade) were reinstalled in the park in October. One still needs to be installed.

Also, to promote a health and wellbeing walk for children some fairy doors have been designed and made by one of the CPSG members and were installed before Christmas. This has proved popular.

Cycling courses.

We were awarded funding for the creation of a Local Bike Ability physical activity programme, beginning in Corporation Park, leading to cycling on the canal to help reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 and increase physical activity and mental wellbeing for residents of the community. This activity is on hold until Covid restrictions are relaxed.

The New Flagship Playground.

The CPSG were present at the photo/video shoot in February 2020. The new playground opened in July and is amazingly busy every day. Light have been installed by the Council next to the playground for safety and security.

Social Media:

Our presence on social media is getting stronger and some of our posts have been popular. For example: August 10th & July 29th posts about the tennis courts refurbishments reached 1379 people. July 25th ‘feed the birds not the rats’ campaign 599 people reached. 23rd July, new playground, 972 people reached. 15th July, dog agility course 507 people reached. Also posted on Facebook, one of the CPSG members designed an online quiz to encourage people (its on our Facebook page) , in a socially distanced way, into the park during lockdown for exercise.

The CPSG have also joined the Our Lancashire on line platform which promotes our park and activities/news. Our resident photographers have been posting beautiful pictures and drone images of the park on our WhatsApp page and on our face book page.
The CPSG have had four articles promoting the park in the Telegraph.

Thank you to everyone from the CPSG committee and volunteers, BwD executive staff, council staff, park staff and councillors for their efforts and input by making it a fruitful and productive time particularly during Covid 19 restrictions and lockdown.