Pupils at Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Southport have created some very special artwork for the Botanic Gardens in Churchtown in Southport.

People can see the pictures on display on the boards next to the lake.

They were among the highlights of the Botanic Gardens Family Fun Day which took place on Sunday (19th June 2022).

The event was organised by the Make A Change For Botanic group, which has campaigned over the past year for vital improvements to be made in the gardens.

The volunteers have already raised an impressive £28,000 before the fun day took place, with some of the money used for installing new water aeration fountains.

In the artwork, pupils revealed why they enjoy the Botanic Gardens, with some amazing responses.

The reasons included: “Because of the two talking parrots!”; “I love the park”; “I play there with my friends”; “It is beautiful and fun to play in”; “It is my favourite place to go”; “the flowers are growing and they are helping to raise money for the park”; and
“It is the best place for your dog!”

Holy Family Catholic Primary Assistant Headteacher (KS2 & Curriculum and Assessment) Samantha Keen said: “As part of our School Council focus on how we can help to improve our local area, the children in Year 4 and 6 were asked to think about and describe what they like about the Botanic Gardens in support of the fun day that took place at the weekend.

“We wanted people to know, from the children's perspective, why the work being carried out by the Make a Change campaign is so vital and why the Botanic Gardens is special to them.

“As a school, we have done a lot of work this year on raising the profile of environmental matters by encouraging that, even as pupils aged 4-11, they can make a difference, especially to their local area.

“Other things we have been a part of include building willow structures and planting fruit and vegetables at Devonshire Road with the High Park Think Family Think Community project to improve the appeal of going to such spaces and provide people with means of sourcing fresh fruit and veg; planting trees on our school field alongside Green Sefton as part of the Queen's Jubilee Green Canopy and cleaning up The Crescent where the school is located.

“We are also looking, before the end of term, to take part in a beach clean.”
Thousands of people enjoyed the Botanic Gardens Family Fun Day.

The huge community effort on Father’s Day saw families enjoy a wide range of attractions with dance performances, dozens of stalls, live music, brass bands, fairground rides, inflatables, donkey rides, a soap bubble artist, and lots more besides.

Local radio stations Mighty FM and Sandgrounder Radio were both on site during the day supporting the proceedings. Merseyside Police were on site with a police van for the kids to see and explore. The event, which was sponsored by Monkey Puzzle Nursery in Southport.

The Make A Change For Botanic group works closely with the volunteers from the Botanic Gardens Community Association, who have led the maintenance of the park for the past 11 years, and with Green Sefton. Volunteers from Southport Rotary also helped out on the day.

Make A Change For Ben was set up by David Rawsthorne last year after the tragic death of his best friend, Ben Smith-Crallan. Ben, 37, died after falling into the lake at the park.

People would like like to donate can do so via the Make A Change For Botanic page on JustGiving here.

Would you like to help the campaign to improve the Botanic Gardens in Churchtown in Southport? Please join the Make A Change For Botanic Facebook group here.



Reported by Andrew Brown of Stand Up For Southport