A community fun day organised by the Friends of Lightoaks Park in Salford was boosted by an appearance from superstar actor Maxine Peake.
Maxine, who lives locally, was on hand on Saturday to pass over a £500 cheque from Cheshire-based landscape designers Horticon, who have revamped the popular park’s play area.
The park hosted a three-hour family fun day to officially launch their Friends group with a astonishing 1,000 people streaming through the gates over the course of the event.
The sun shone as local families took part in a variety of activities, including a doggy obstacle course, craft and cake stalls, a reptile petting zoo and meeting the local emergency services.
New volunteers signing up – Friends of Lightoaks Park Facebook
Maxine Peake found fame in Victoria Wood’s ITV comedy Dinnerladies and Channel 4’s Shameless before going on to star in a number of high-profile stage and screen outings.
She won rave reviews for her version of Hamlet and is a prominent speaker and campaigner on working-class issues.
The Friends of Lightoaks Park group was formed on in March 2016 to develop the green space to meet the needs of the local community.
A spot teeming with wildlife in the heart of Salford, the park sees regular visits from resident heron, woodpeckers and even terrapins.
In the short term the group organise regular clean-ups and litter picking, and have a number of long-term plans to improve the sports facilities, installing public toilets and developing a ‘summer shed’ for the community to use.
Their ultimate aim is to get Lightoaks Park Green Flag recognition – the award given to outstanding public parks in the UK.
To get involved contact secretary Lindsay Barrett at friendsoflightoakspark@outlook.com.
Maxine Peake images by Sidshots Photography & Media/Fun day images by Friends of Lightoaks Park Facebook
