00:01For generations, Croxteth Country Park has been part of everyday life in Liverpool.
00:06It covers 550 acres and attracts around 600,000 visitors each year.
00:11But Liverpool City Council says parts of the site remain underused and it wants that to change.
00:17The council is now working with the Queen Elizabeth Trust on a major package of projects
00:23designed to increase community participation, improve facilities and help secure the park's long-term future.
00:32Queen Elizabeth believes really strongly in values of tolerance and community
00:37and bringing people together from different backgrounds and different generations.
00:42And Green Space does that amazingly well, but there are a few places better than Croxteth Country Park
00:47to really bring the community together, help people meet each other from different generations.
00:52And we see enormous potential for the park to do more going forward.
00:56The initial phase brings together almost £2 million in combined investment
01:02from the Queen Elizabeth Trust and the Lady Sefton Trust,
01:06alongside wider support from Liverpool City Council.
01:10That could include further restoration of the community garden
01:13with a focus on wellbeing, volunteering, skills development and inclusive access.
01:19Definitely. We know this is such a brilliant place, Croxteth.
01:22We know it deserves so much more and this is why we've been working hard in the background
01:27to try and bring more funding and opportunities into the park.
01:30And it's great that the Queen Elizabeth Trust has chosen this as its very first project in the country as
01:35well.
01:36So it's really great news for locally, but for the city as well as a whole.
01:40There are also plans for a natural amphitheatre and a pump track for children and young people,
01:45providing more opportunities to be active and develop confidence and skills.
01:50The park's wider catchment is home to almost 220,000 people, including around 38,000 children.
01:58The college has got a really strong connection with Liverpool and Croxteth Park.
02:01So the college has been serving the Liverpool area as part of the traditional Lancashire boundary since 1894.
02:06But actually we've been here in Croxteth Park for the last 27 years, so it's a long-term partnership.
02:11It's a really special part of our college.
02:13It's that opportunity to provide our fantastic community in this area with that specialist land-based education.
02:20The wider partnership will also help develop a master plan for the park.
02:24It aims to assess what work should happen, when it should happen,
02:29and what mix of investment is needed to unlock more of the park's potential.
02:34I mean, this is a really special place for me.
02:36I studied horticulture at Myerscow College, came here 20 years ago.
02:41I also actually did my work experience here at 14 in the Walled Garden as well.
02:46So a lot of good memories for me here.
02:48For the council and the trust, the ambition is to make sure more of those communities can benefit from Croxteth
02:55Country Park for years to come.
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