Friends rake in cash to help park bloom

THE Friends of Coronation Park are helping West Lancashire Borough Council make an award-winning park look even better.

Group members raised funds and purchased tools for the council’s parks and countryside service to help them with traditional management of the wildflower meadow at the park in Ormskirk.

The tools will be used to assist with the clearing of hay from the meadow, after its autumn cut.

This is very important as it helps stimulate growth for the following year.

The work is labour-intensive but community groups, including the Friends, often donate their time to help with the process.

Coronation Park has earned Green Flag status every year for the past nine years and its wildflower meadow creates a habitat for wildlife in an urban environment.

This gives excellent cover for field voles that reside in the park and attracts numerous pollinators such as bees, enriching the park with a range of wildlife.

Last year, The Wildlife Trust provided seeds from the national Plan Bee project, and, once the meadow had been cleared last autumn, new wildflower seeds were sown so the meadow will be full of beautiful blooms this spring and summer.

This helps to offer a food source for pollinators.

West Lancashire Borough Council’s director of leisure and wellbeing, Dave Tilleray, said: “We are very grateful to the friends group for raising the money and providing these tools.

“This will be a big help in the work clearing the meadow, which is a very important feature of Coronation Park, in Ormskirk.”

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Friends of Coronation Park, or wish to help maintain any of the 14 parks and countryside sites managed by the ranger service, call 01695 570 258.

Find out more about parks and countryside events by following the rangers on Twitter @WLBC_ Rangers or visiting their Facebook page www.facebook.com/wlbc. rangers

For more information about West Lancashire Borough Council events, visit www.westlancs.gov. uk/events.