Museum of Liverpool themes and displays

People's parks: history, regeneration and involvement

A free day of discussion and workshops

Saturday 27 June 2009, 9.30am-4.30pm at Merseyside Maritime Museum

Postcard of Newsham Park, Liverpool from the collection of Nigel Sharp, Liverpool City Council parks officer

As part of the Year of Environment 2009, this event will look at the importance of parks and their history in Liverpool. It will explore the challenges of regeneration and environment for local communities and how people can become more involved.

This People's Parks event is a partership between the Museum of Liverpool and the Liverpool Parks Friends Forum (LPFF).

Draft programme

Welcome by Councillor Bernie Turner

Presentation by Janet Dugdale on the new Museum of Liverpool

Morning workshops on the themes of:

• Workshop 1 Parks and controversies through history with local historian Frank Carlyle
• Workshop 2 Creative nature conservation: opportunities for Liverpool with Richard Scott from the National Wildflower Centre
• Workshop 3 Community involvement and green spaces with Jean Grant, Pool Creative Director and Helen Robinson, community consultation co-ordinator at National Museums Liverpool
• Workshop 4 Historic environment and parks with the Merseyside Archaeological Service
• Workshop 5 Record your own oral history with oral historian Chris Gibbons

Keynote speakers: including Robert Lee, University of Liverpool and chairman of Friends of Birkenhead Park

Site visit: discover the hidden side of Chavasse Park

Please bring your own picnic lunch

How to book

This is a free event but places are limited so please register as soon as possible.

• Download People's parks event registration form [rich text format 28kb]

Please email Clara Paillard or phone 0151 478 4063 for further details.

Community groups and members of the public are welcome to attend.

Background information

Sefton Park © Liverpool City Council

Liverpool Parks Friends Forum was set up in 2006 by 33 Liverpool Parks Friends groups in collaboration with Liverpool City Council. It aims to provide an umbrella organisation to link different Friends groups and empower them to raise their own funding, link with City Council policies and raise the profile of the community-led 'Parks agenda'.

Over the past two years the Forum has developed a Constitution and a Board representing the six neighbourhoods of the city. It has participated in different events (including the acclaimed Green Flag Ceremony 2008 at the BT Convention Centre and the Big History Show at St George's Hall). The group is seeking funding to encourage new users of parks and to develop activities in Liverpool parks. Further information is available on the Friends of Parks page on the Liverpool City Council website.