People are invited to help transform a green space and woodlands at a Workington estate.
On Tuesday, August 20, volunteers can join Riverside housing association at Salterbeck to transform Backfield Salterbeck Community Park into a display of biodiversity.
Between 9am to 5pm, volunteers can help plant 24,000 bulbs aimed at creating floral arrangements and habitats of wildflowers.
Volunteers can meet Riverside’s Environmental Services team at The Oval Centre on Salterbeck Drive for 9am, before the two-minute walk to the site.
People are welcome to drop in briefly or dedicate the entire event, which runs until 5pm, to take part.
No experience is required as Riverside’s team will be on hand to support, and refreshments and facilities will be available to volunteers back at community centre The Oval Centre.
The park, which backs onto Coronation Drive, has been subject to vandalism and fly-tipping for many years, Riverside said.
In preparation for the community planting day event, Riverside and its contractors have been clearing the backfield of brambles, litter and debris.
In their place, a more open coppice woodland with wildflowers is envisaged to complement the diversity of shrubs and trees Riverside has already planted.
Work has also been done to make the site more accessible for visitors and cyclists through installing more level pathways and introducing wheelchair friendly paths to the woodlands.
Alongside support from Riverside’s Sustainability and Community funds, this restoration project for the community space has received £20,139 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Sarah Mitten, Riverside’s community planning & resilience manager, said: “Community days like this don’t just contribute to the future of our neighbourhoods, but bring local people together and give us another reason to feel proud of where we live.
“We encourage anyone to come along and give as much or little time as you can. Whether you can drop in briefly or stay the day, you will be helping to make a difference in your local community and to the environment, all while reaping the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of being in nature.
“We know this is an area that has experienced vandalism and littering in the past and following a recent incident, we’re already making repairs to the newly installed accessible paths. But we hope that by breathing life into it together, that it will encourage individuals to respect the space more.
“Once the restoration works are fully complete, we look forward to residents and surrounding communities of Workington being able to appreciate and visit the improved urban park and woodland for generations to come.
“We’re pleased to be collaborating with the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and want to thank them and all volunteers who will get involved for supporting this project.”
