Hopwood Park Celebration event raises over £2,000 for renovations

Hopwood Park Celebration

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A celebratory event hosted by The Friends of Hopwood Park on Saturday (13 May) raised £2,009.62 towards the bus shelter renovations.

The Mayor Ray Dutton and Mayoress Elaine Dutton also attended the event, one of their last as Mayor and Mayoress.

Activities included a magician, DJ, face-painting, balloon modelling, bouncy castle, bouncy slide, sand art, penalty shoot-out, a tombola, and Star Wars characters. Adults enjoyed a hog roast and drink, whilst children could enjoy a hot dog and have free rides on a miniature railway.

Chairwoman of The Friends, Sandra Trickett, said: “We are delighted that the Mayor and Mayoress have been able to join us and enjoy many events on the Park this year and have seen us develop as a community group. We hope that they will continue to join us from time to time and thank them for their valued support and wish them all the very best for the future.”

Sandra and trustees Amanda Almond and Margaret Ryan were also presented with floral arrangements and a giant sunflower from the children who regularly visit the park. The giant sunflower contained messages thanking the Friends for their hard work in the park.

They plan to hang the sunflower on the wall of the café, when the bus shelter conversion is completed.

The bus shelter has already received a new roof and the Friends have started to clean the exterior and point the brickwork. The next step of converting the disused bus shelter into a community hub and café will be interior alterations, including windows and shutters, which the Friends are now saving for.

Sandra continued: “A massive thank you to everyone who joined in our Big Lottery funded Celebration Event on Hopwood Park. It was a remarkable day showing what a community can achieve. All the positive feedback and great photos of the day are really appreciated.

“Our vision for the park is now being realised and we are seeing the many benefits of it.
For the very first time, thanks to the recent drainage works, even after a heavy rainfall, we were able to use the field as part of the event which was amazing.

“A big thank you to all the volunteers for helping to make the day a huge success - FOHP, Heywood Lions Club, Heywood Senior Section/Girl Guides, Lancashire Veterans Association, UK Garrison 501st Legion, Hopwood Radio and Rochdale Society of Model and Experimental Engineers. Thanks also to Kats Dance and Edstart Rochdale.”

The event was welcomed by many in the community, as over 800 people turned out on the day.

Margaret Williams said: “My grandchildren and I had a lovely time at the park. Thank you to everyone who organised it, good job.”

Samantha Moss said: “Thanks to the Friends of Hopwood Park for organising another wonderful event. We are so lucky to have such a brilliant community space on our doorstep, and it's made so much better by the Friends group's ongoing commitment and dedication. We intended to come for an hour and ended up staying for four. We’re looking forward to the next event.”

The Friends were awarded £3,896 specifically for the community celebration by The Big Lottery Fund, as part of £5 million scheme across the UK to celebrate what makes their local community special.

Over the last year, the park has seen tremendous improvement including improved lighting and drainage facilities, with further landscaping and enhancements to take place this year.