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Ambitious plans to transform Wigan’s Mesnes Park into a true ‘Park for
the People’ were given a multi million pound boost today thanks to the
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund (BIG).
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, in partnership with Wigan Council, has
been awarded a grant of £1.8m to transform and regenerate the much-loved
park. Match-funding from other sources including Wigan Council, Wigan
Leisure and Culture Trust and a contribution from Fredericks Ice Cream
will take the investment in the park to around £3.4m.
The funding for Mesnes Park is one of the first from the ‘Parks for
People’ programme, a new scheme which is designed to invest lottery good
cause money in parks right across UK. HLF case officers commended
Wigan’s application as exemplary and highlighted it as a fine example of
partnership work with the Trust, Council, The Friends of Mesnes Park and
countless others playing their part in the Mesnes Park bid.
Mesnes is a classic example of a Victorian urban park. It is a Grade II
listed park and was opened back in 1878 as a ‘green lung’ for the
industrial town. Today it receives around two million visitors a year
and plays host to an array of popular events including the Wigan One
World Festival.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust Chief Executive Rodney Hill said: “We
are delighted that this funding has been approved; it is validation from
the Heritage and Big Lottery Funds of our passion for parks. Mesnes Park
is a key site for us and we are sure that this investment will benefit
the people of Wigan for many years to come. This is a project that has
gripped everyone working at the Trust for a number of years now. The
dedication and passion of the Parks Regeneration Team and everyone
involved is a fine example to us all – I commend them for their
fantastic work and look forward to seeing their efforts come to
fruition.”
Stage one of the Mesnes Park Restoration project will include the
regeneration of historic features such as the bandstand, pavilion,
shelter, Dalton Steps and main pathways, as well as revamping the play
shack and developing a new training centre. Plans also involve the
appointment of a dedicated Park Ranger and enhanced daily management and
maintenance. Work on the restoration project is scheduled to begin in
late spring 2008.
Wigan Council’s leisure champion, Councillor Brian Baldwin, said:
“Mesnes Park is a much loved green oasis, but after generations of use,
it is in need of this restoration. Thanks to investment from the
Lottery, we can now go ahead and develop our plans further.
“I would like to pay tribute to the Friends of Mesnes Park for all their
help and support over many years. Clearly the passion we all share for
the park is beginning to pay off and its legacy will be a green space in
the centre of Wigan we can all be rightly proud of. The hard work begins
now!”
The success of this initial funding bid means that a second bid for
funding will be submitted to the HLF and BIG in spring 2008. If
successful the second bid could bring the total investment in Mesnes
Park to a staggering £6m.
Chair of the Friends Of Mesnes Park Sue Turner said: “This is a great
day for Mesnes Park and for the Wigan Borough as a whole. It has been a
long process to get where we are today I would like to offer my thanks
and congratulations to all the staff at Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust
who have worked day and night to achieve this goal. This funding will
secure Mesnes Park as a true People’s Park for the 21st Century.”
The ground-breaking Parks for People programme has been designed to
improve the local environment and encourage communities to get actively
involved in their local park. The two Lottery Funds are working in
partnership to deliver this multi-million pound investment of up to
£160million over three years.
The Big Lottery Fund is investing £90million and up to £70million is
coming from HLF. The scheme will be administered by the HLF, which has
been regenerating historic parks for the past 10 years to the tune of
over £400million. The Big Lottery Fund has invested over £514million in
environment initiatives.
Heritage Lottery Fund Casework Manager for the North West Peter Fellows
said: "The great thing about parks is that they are just as much a part
of people's lives today as they were for the Victorian's who created
them. Today's news is a green light for Wigan to restore Mesnes Park to
its former glory and create a host of new ways for everyone to enjoy the
green space for generations to come."
Big Lottery Fund Head of North West region Michelle McNamee added:
“Parks are an important resource for every community, and the Parks for
People programme aims to make them more attractive, safer and accessible
to everyone. This is a fantastic project, and one that will bring
enjoyment and benefits to many local people for years to come.”
For further information about the Mesnes Park Restoration Project
contact Andrew Bond – Parks Regeneration Manager on 01942 488471 or
email
a.bond@wlct.org or visit
www.wlct.org/mesnespark
-ends-
NOTES TO EDITORS: For further information on this press release please
contact Chris Dunbar, Media and Public Relations Manager, on 01942
486937 or at
c.dunbar@wlct.org
Alternatively contact Sam Goody at the HLF on 0207 591 6033 or at
samanthag@hlf.org.uk Out of hours: 07870 581599. Or contact
Jonathan Hall/Helen Harch at the Big Lottery Fund on 0207 211 1818 /
0207 211 3707 or at
jonathan.hall@biglotteryfund.org.uk Out of hours: 07867
500572.
Mesnes Park: Mesnes Park is a Grade II listed Victorian park covering 28
acres of land in the heart of Wigan town centre. It was the first
municipal park in Wigan and was opened on 6th August 1878 by local mill
owner Nathaniel Eckersley. The park retains the framework and features
of the original design, and contains six listed buildings and
structures.
The name ‘Mesnes’ comes from a shortened form of ‘Demesnes’, which means
‘land retained by the lord of the manor’ (in this case the Rector of
Wigan). By the mid-nineteenth century this land was in a semi-waste
condition and was given to the town by the Rector in exchange for the
development of other land.
One of the most prominent features within the park, the pavilion, was
built in 1880, and in 1910 the statue of Sir Francis Sharpe Powell (MP
for Wigan) was unveiled. By 1930 there was a vast array of public
recreational facilities within the park.
Restoration Project:
Pavilion: The pavilion will be restored to its former glory with the
first floor being brought back into use as a flexible exhibition and
café seating area. It will house a new and improved café function run by
Fredericks Ice Cream, and will include improved toilet and baby change
facilities.
Bandstand: The bandstand will be restored to its original state and
developed for future events and activities.
Dalton Steps: The Dalton Steps will be repaired and restored including
replacing the missing urns.
Training Centre: A flexible internal and external training resource, for
up to 30 students, will be provided with supporting: storage, cloakroom
and toilet facilities. This will be used for students of all ages for
both formal and informal learning activities.
Core Footpaths: Core footpaths will be repaired and new footpaths will
be installed to improve accessibility and the Park aesthetics.
Play Shack: The play shack will be converted into a multi-purpose
flexible space for public and private use.
Shelter: The shelter adjacent to the pavilion will be repaired and
restored to their former glory.
HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND: CD-ROM application packs can be obtained by
calling 020 7591 6042. Further information can be found by visiting
www.hlf.org.uk
Out of every pound spent on a National Lottery ticket, 28p goes directly
to
good causes. The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for distributing half
of the money to improve communities and the lives of people most in
need. HLF distributes 16.67 % of the money to heritage projects across
the UK. There are 12 other organisations responsible for distributing
lottery money to good causes.
www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk
The Heritage Lottery Fund enables communities to celebrate, look after
and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and
historic buildings, to local parks and beauty spots or recording and
celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our
nation’s heritage for everyone to enjoy. HLF has supported more than
18,000 projects, allocating over £3.3billion across the UK.
www.hlf.org.uk
Big Lottery Fund: The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in
Lottery good cause money every 24 hours which together with other
Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a
few miles of a Lottery-funded project. The Big Lottery Fund, the largest
of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out
grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across
the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by
Parliament on 1 December 2006.
Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by
the public has gone to Good Causes. As a result, over £20 billion has
now been raised and more than 280,000 grants given out across the arts,
sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust: Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust is a
charitable trust working on behalf of Wigan Council to manage and
support leisure and cultural facilities, initiatives and events for over
300,000 residents in the Wigan Borough. See
www.wlct.org
Getting Wigan Active: Getting Wigan Active is Wigan Leisure and Culture
Trust’s vision to help people across the Wigan Borough to become more
physically, mentally and creatively active. It also aims to increase
community activity and to encourage good citizenship
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