£40,000 MCBF Grant for Frodsham’s Green Gates Park

green gates community project celebrations
Green Gates Community Project team celebrate their success – play equipment at Green Gates Park will be reinstated after a council vote was passed 🥂

The Green Gates Community Project in Frodsham will be the lucky recipient of almost £40,000 awarded by us (MCBF) for their great work

Honouring the protective covenant to ensure Green Gates remains as a children’s playground for future generations to come. Proudly working collaboratively with Frodsham Town Council.

Ship Street in the Waterside Ward of Frodsham is one of the most deprived areas in Cheshire. Any amount of investment towards improving the facilities makes a huge difference to the lives of the people in this community. Our grant will help fund building work on the new play area on Ship Street. Green Gates Park, or “The Backki”, as its known locally will now become a multi-generational recreation area.

The story so far

Green Gates Park was historically gifted to the children of Frodsham. However since 2018 local people have been battling to save the land from developers, who would close it off to the public and build on the land. The project would generate huge profits for private businesses and would have no benefit whatsoever for the local community. The Green Gates Community Project was formed to fight these plans and save the land for the local children of today and future generations.

In 2021 Frodsham Town Council (the current landowner) agreed to uphold the wishes of local residents to reinstate the land as a park and commit to maintaining Green Gates Park along with the other parks and green spaces in Frodsham.

THE parish council hereby covenants with the district council that the said parish council or it’s successors in title will not use the said land edged red otherwise than as a children’s playground.

Green Gates Community Project has created a stepped plan culminating with the park becoming a multi-generational recreation area. This new space be attractive to local families with children under 11 along with older residents.

green gates park frodsham plan
The latest set of plans for Frodsham’s Green Gates Park regeneration. Key: A – Locked double gates, B – Soft close gates, C – Wildflowers, D – Dual purpose pathways, E – Benches, F – Basic play area, G – Climbing wall / trim trail, H – 5 a side football pitch, H – 5 a side football pitch and I – passive area.

A major boost

The project received a major boost with our award of almost £40,000. This will go towards building and installing new equippment for the play area including accessible play apparatus.

Says Diane McNamara, Green Gates Community Project Chairman :

We are absolutely delighted with the grant, and are very grateful to the Marshes Community Benefit Fund for seeing the potential for this land. With their help, we are a step closer to realising our vision for a park that will really contribute to the overall health and wellbeing of the local community.

The Project continues to bid for community funding to achieve their goals, which include seating areas and a wildflower meadow. Following a request from Green Gates Community Project, Frodsham Town Council as landowners are applying to protect this covenanted park through Fields In Trust to ensure the land is protected into the future.

To find out more about Green Gates Park and Green Gates Community Project, visit their website at www.yourgreengates.com, you can also show your support by joining their Facebook group here.