Delight as Myerscough’s Liverpool home to benefit from Queen’s legacy funding

A £2m grant will fund the restoration of Croxteth Country Park's natural amphitheatre, a bike track, and major improvements to the community garden, in partnership with Myerscough College.

Myerscough was one of the key organisations that helped to shape the vision for the funding bid that will now transform the future of the park. The investment will support a long-term programme of improvements across the park, including the development of a masterplan that will guide its future over the next 15 years and beyond.

Currently, the 500 acre site provides woodlands, parkland, gardens and a conservation area to be enjoyed by learners studying at the park. The full time and part time courses currently on offer include foundation learning, animal studies, arboriculture, equine studies, and horticulture.

Liverpool City Council owns and manages Croxteth Park and will remain responsible for its long-term management and stewardship.

Meanwhile, Myerscough has offered study programmes at Croxteth since 1999, working closely with stakeholders over many years to offer a range of courses in a unique setting, equipped with excellent practical facilities to study land-based subjects, just five miles from the heart of Liverpool City Centre.

Councillor Dan Barrington from Liverpool City Council said: ‘’I studied horticulture here with Myerscough when I was 16.

‘’I’ve spent a lot of time outside in the Walled Garden getting my hands dirty. It was a brilliant two years of my life. Being in this sort of place is really special.

‘’Croxteth Park is such a special place locally across the city, and it’s exciting that we’ve been chosen as the first project by the Trust. There’s so much potential here and it’s always been the case of how do we build that plan to unlock it.’’

Lewis is a current Myerscough College horticulture student.

He had fond memories of visiting the park as a child and was now proud to be learning more about its flora and fauna.

‘’I only live about 15 minutes from here so I’ve always known this park from when I was a kid, so this park means a lot to me.

Fellow student Olly added: ‘’I used to come here with my sister. It’s a safe place with lovely views.

‘’On my course I learn all about different plants, flowers and shrubs and how to take care of them.

He added the funding would mean Croxteth Park could continue to be a "safe space for kids and families for generations to come".

Erin is a mature student at the college said it was "great to see investment in horticulture in the north", while fellow student Jackie added: "It can only be a good thing to help people who love gardens, it might open a door for people that may have been bolted shut - it's going to be amazing".

The Queen Elizabeth Trust is one of three memorial projects announced by the Government in April to honour the late Queen’s legacy – alongside a national memorial in St James’s Park and a digital memorial – following recommendations from the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee. His Majesty the King is Royal Patron of the Trust, which is currently in its pilot phase and will launch formally in Spring 2027.

Croxteth Country Park has been part of Liverpool life for generations. Its wider catchment is home to almost 220,000 people, including approximately 38,000 children, and the partnership aims to ensure that even more people can experience and enjoy everything the park has to offer in the years ahead.

Croxteth Country Park will be the first project supported by the Queen Elizabeth Trust as QET develops its approach ahead of the launch of its future UK-wide funding programme. Working with Liverpool City Council will allow the Trust to put its approach into practice and learn how funding, relevant expertise and strong networks can best support local partners and help good ideas go further.

The initial phase will bring together almost £2 million in combined investment from the Queen Elizabeth Trust and the Lady Sefton Trust (bequeathed for the benefit of the city and held in the custodianship of Liverpool City Council), alongside wider support from Liverpool City Council, delivering vital practical support and expertise.

Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “Croxteth Park has brought generations of Liverpudlians together and we want it to play just as important a role for generations to come.

“We have long had ambitious plans for the estate, but realising its full potential requires us to think at a different scale. The Queen Elizabeth Trust’s support, investment and expertise has galvanised our ambition and means we can go further than we could have achieved alone

“Together, we can breathe new life into parts of this much-loved estate, create more opportunities for the communities around it, and help ensure that future generations can enjoy Croxteth just as generations of Liverpudlians have before them.”

Sir Damon Buffini CVO, Chair of the Queen Elizabeth Trust, said: “Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth believed deeply in service, in community and in the things that bring people together. Throughout her reign she celebrated the extraordinary heritage, culture and natural beauty of the United Kingdom, and the communities that give those places meaning.

“The Queen Elizabeth Trust wants to carry that spirit forward by helping to ensure our great, shared places remain part of everyday life, and everyone has the opportunity to experience and enjoy them.

“That is why we are so excited that Croxteth Country Park will be our first project. We want to work hand in hand with the Council and local communities, listening to the people who know the park best and working with them to shape its future.”

Further information about the Queen Elizabeth Trust’s UK-wide funding programme will be published at its formal launch in Spring 2027.