Can you help by joining the volunteers tending the historic gardens at Blackpool's Stanley Park

The green shoots of spring are on the horizon and gardeners are beginning to gear up for the new growing season.

But some green-fingered folk have a bit more on their hands than others - especially the volunteers who tend the historic gardens at Blackpool's Stanley Park. Now they are appealing for others to join them in maintaining and nurturing the park's famous Memorial and Rose Gardens which have been giving joy to visitors and residents for nearly 100 years.

John Cookson, 79, and his wife Christine, 75, both members of the Friends of Stanley Park, have been tending the Memorial Garden for six years. But heart trouble means John can no longer do any of the really heavy work like digging although he is set to stay on and share his expertise.

He said: "The Memorial Garden is part of the original Mawson design and was originally a fragrance garden used by blind people. It is still a very relaxing area of the park. We have aimed to create a natural garden and it is very wildlife-friendly as we don't use any chemicals. There are a lot of different birds and we grow plants which attract insects such as bees and butterflies.

"We only water the plants when we put them in the ground as there is no water connection here, so we use Mediterranean plants which can withstand the dry summers we get more of now. Also we don't cut things down in winter which means the birds can feed off the seeds. We have a couple of stoats and hedgehogs which eat the slugs."

Volunteers are filling the gaps left by cutbacks in the council's own parks department, but are enthusiastic about the benefits of being out in the fresh air, getting exercise and meeting other people. Duties include weeding, digging, planting and cutting back shrubbery.

John added: "Gardening is good exercise and we get lots of interest from passers-by asking questions about the plants. The Memorial Garden is popular with all ages. It only has two entrances so children can safely run about and play hide and seek."

The iconic Rose Garden is also a gem within the park and a separate team looks after that and is also appealing for volunteers, although it will be getting extra help from the New Langdale Centre on Whitegate Drive.

Volunteer Sandra Peters says connecting with nature as one of the team of gardeners has helped her get over the loss of two of her loved ones.

She said: "I lost my partner in 2015 and walking in the park with my dogs helped me get over his death. Then I was looking after my elderly mum and when I lost her, walking in the park was a big help. I got talking to one of the volunteers and decided to join them. Every day I would see something in nature and that helped me get over the death of my loved ones. So it's payback for that."

Another of the volunteers Barry Bush said: "It's about giving back. We get lots of satisfaction out of what we do and it's great to see people enjoying the garden. For example, we get a lot of school groups coming round."

Memorial Garden

• There are 23 beds of different designs - some circular, some rectangular and some raised. Plants range from Tulips to Thyme, Lupins to Lavender.
• It was named 'outstanding' by the Royal Horticultural Society in September 2022 as part of the national Britain in Bloom Awards.
• Special features include a field maple which was one of the 350 trees that made up the ‘Tree of Trees' displayed outside Buckingham Palace during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.

Rose Garden

• It was built in 1926 and designed by Thomas Mawson as an oval-shaped amphitheatre with 70 individual rose beds.
• There are between 3,000 and 4,000 roses in total, all heritage blooms, with the Friends of Stanley Park buying 1,000 replacement roses in recent years.
• Near the centre is a plinth in memory of Blackpool Tower Circus clown Charlie Cairoli.

How to become a volunteer

The volunteers are in the park on Mondays and Thursdays, between 9.30am and 11.30am. To find out more, contact Nigel Patterson on 07721 446038.