The 150th birthday of the beautiful Botanic Gardens in Churchtown in Southport will be celebrated by Sefton Council this week, with praise given to the remarkable volunteers who look after it.
A motion will call for the local authority to write to the Botanic Gardens Community Association, “acknowledging their excellent work and thanking them for all that they do”.
The volunteers are headed by David and Ann Cobham, who were awarded the Sefton Community Impact Award, sponsored by Carlsberg, at the 2024 Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards for their immense dedication.
Over the past 13 years, the volunteers have worked seven days a week maintaining this historic park, working seven days as “the jewel in the crown for Southport”.
They source and plant flowers; have opened and maintained the toilets; created the RAF flower bed; reopened and looked after the aviary; and have taken care of the historic fernery, one of the few of its kind in the UK.
In the full Sefton Council meeting at Bootle Town Hall this Thursday (11th September 2025), Southport councillor Gareth Lloyd-Johnson will present a motion saying: “On June 15th 2025, a fabulous event was held at Botanic Gardens to celebrate 150 years since the Gardens were opened.
“The first version of the Botanic Gardens was created in 1874, being officially opened in 1875. The museum followed in 1876.
“The Gardens were the idea of the Churchtown Botanic Gardens Company, a group formed by local residents at a time when recreational green space open to the public was increasingly being seen as having a positive impact on health.
“Although threatened with closure in 1932, the Botanic Gardens reopened in 1937 after proposals for housing on the site were defeated. Botanic Gardens is often referred to as the ‘jewel in Southport’s crown’ and is a cornerstone of our heritage and the history of our communities.
“The Botanic Gardens is now maintained by an army of dedicated volunteers who deserve huge praise and our ongoing support.”
Cllr Gareth Lloyd-Johnson is asking Sefton Council to recognise;
1. The exceptional work done by volunteers to maintain Botanic Gardens.
2. That the Gardens does require investment and maintenance to keep it as the jewel in Southport’s crown.
3. That much hard work is going into a potential funding bid, or bids, aided by Green Sefton and other parts of the Council.
4. That a match-funding appeal has been launched as those involved in putting together funding bids recognise the need to attract support from multiple revenue streams and sources.
5. That the Botanic Gardens remind us that heritage is, at least, as important as new development and that the founding principles of the Botanic Gardens, that publicly accessible green spaces are vital, should never be forgotten.
This Council resolves to;
1. Write to the Botanic Gardens Community Association, acknowledging their excellent work and thanking them for all that they do.
2. Continue to support the work being done on potential funding bids by volunteers, local councillors, Green Sefton and other council staff.
3. Through its existing press mechanisms, publish a press release celebrating the 150 year celebration event and, building on the press release of 13/06/25, sharing details of the match-funding campaign again.
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