Better signage is to be installed at the Grange Road entrance to the Wirral Way in West Kirby later this year, as part of a series of events to mark Wirral Country Park’s 50th anniversary.
A number of improvements have already been carried out at the park, including resurfacing 1.8km of the Wirral Way and widening the clifftop path.
Picnic areas have also been refurbished, new lighting columns and restoration of the old station platform has taken place at Thurstaston, as well as improvements to the pond and its access path.
To mark the golden anniversary, there will be everything from miniature traction engines, a teddy bear picnic and wildflower art installations to a photographic exhibition and organised walks, horse and bike rides.
The programme of events announced so far include:
- A stone re-dedication ceremony on Monday 3 April in which the Mayor will unveil a new plaque marking the park’s 50th anniversary.
- Ashton Park in West Kirby hosting May Day celebrations on Monday 1 May
- Friends of Hadlow Road Station celebrating the King’s Coronation on Sunday 7 May
- New-look entrance with better signage on Grange Road in West Kirby in the autumn
- Improvement work at the Hooton entrance
Parts of the park are locally designated wildlife sites and nationally protected Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and there will be an opportunity for people to learn about the park’s biodiversity at events about bats, bees and birds.
Cllr Liz Grey, Chair of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee at Wirral Council, said: “We are lucky to live in a peninsula with so much natural beauty and Wirral Country Park’s 50th anniversary will give everyone an opportunity to celebrate the very best of Wirral.
“It’s wonderful that so much will be going on throughout the year for people of all ages to enjoy.”
Wirral Country Park Fact File
- Formerly the 12 mile West Kirby to Hooton railway line, which closed in 1962
- Work began on the Country Park in 1968 following a campaign by Captain Lawrence Beswick DSM
- It was opened in October 1973 by Lord Leverhulme, becoming one of Britain’s first Country Parks
- It receives half a million visitors every year, and 5,000 schoolchildren take part in curriculum activities