Rimrose Valley Friends [1] is announcing a £167,690 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund [2] to help restore and maintain the natural habitats of Rimrose Valley Country Park and document and preserve the park’s rich history, for generations to come.

Rimrose Valley Country Park is one of the largest, urban green spaces in the Liverpool City Region. Work to reclaim the land – sections of which were formerly landfill – began in the mid-nineties, with the park officially declared ‘open’ in the summer of 2001. It has since evolved into a unique piece of countryside, bordered by the historic Leeds-Liverpool canal and sitting within a predominantly residential part of South Sefton.

25 years on, the park’s habitats, which include wetlands, woodlands and grasslands, need attention, with invasive non-native species and other encroaching vegetation threatening their biodiversity. Key infrastructure including signage and a boardwalk needs replacing and the park’s history remains undocumented. Without this funding from the Heritage Fund, the park’s habitats would deteriorate and its cultural heritage risks being lost, forever.

In celebration of the park’s 25th anniversary, this project will enable conservation work to take place across the park, engaging local people in these efforts, improving the habitats for nature. Alongside this, artists will work with local people to explore and record the park’s stories, memories and changing sounds through oral histories, field recording and a series of seasonal walks. This material will become an audio trail through the park and form part of a new digital archive. This, along with new signage, will ensure that the park is better understood and cared for by current and future generations alike. Volunteers and schools will have the opportunity to take part in the project through a range of events and training opportunities.

With funding in place for 2 years, this is the biggest project Rimrose Valley Friends has undertaken to date. To help deliver it, they have partnered with environmental organisation Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside [3] and community arts agency, Rule of Threes [4].

The project will kick off in November 2026 with 2 public engagement events at libraries to the north and south of the park. For more information, people should follow Rimrose Valley Friends on Facebook and Instagram and visit www.rimrosevalleyfriends.org from October onwards.

Stu Bennett from Rimrose Valley Friends said:

“We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, over the next 2 years, we will be pouring our efforts into enhancing the park – both for nature and surrounding communities.

“Our bid wouldn’t have been possible without the backing of Sefton Council and support from their Green Sefton Team. After years of uncertainty over the park’s future, this major grant is truly something to celebrate and be excited about. We can’t wait to get started!”

Maria Brewster, Director of project partner, Rule of Threes said:

“We’re delighted to be working with Rimrose Valley Friends and Groundwork on this project. Rimrose Valley has often been a site and inspiration for our work and this project gives us the chance to go much deeper. We’ll be working with artists and local people to explore the valley through sound, stories, memory and lived experience, making new work that reveals different ways of seeing and understanding this extraordinary place.”

Peter Jordan, Senior Programme Manager for Nature Recovery at project partner, Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside said:

“Groundwork is incredibly excited to be supporting Rimrose Valley Friends and their project partners in helping the community around Rimrose to care for this important green space and to capture both their memories and their aspirations for its future.”

Cllr Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council, said:

“I am thrilled that this Heritage Lottery Fund application has been approved. This is yet another important milestone in the brilliant job done by Rimrose Valley Friends, Sefton Council staff and partners to make Rimrose Valley a shining example of what cooperation and passion for our natural environment can achieve. 

“The opportunities unlocked by the grant and Sefton Council’s match-funding will make a significant and long-lasting impact on Rimrose Valley as a site of natural and cultural importance. 

“As a Council, we are committed to preserving our natural green spaces and encouraging biodiversity, which has so many environmental benefits. I’d like to congratulate everyone who has contributed to this bid and wish them the best with their ambitious plans for Rimrose Valley.”

Notes to editors

[1] About Rimrose Valley Friends www.rimrosevalleyfriends.org

[2] About The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past. By 2033, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities. heritagefund.org.uk

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund

[3] Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside is part of Groundwork UK, which takes practical action to create a fair and green future in which people, places, and nature thrive. They support local communities and businesses to build capacity and resilience, which is vital if to tackling hardship, achieving a just transition to net-zero and helping nature recover in a way that reduces inequality and leads to better work and healthier, happier lives.  https://www.groundwork.org.uk/clm/

[4] Rule of Threes is a not-for-profit arts organisation based in Sefton, Merseyside. They develop ambitious artist-led projects that connect people with the places where they live, working with artists, communities and local partners to make new work together. More about Rule of Threes https://ruleofthrees.co.uk/