Sarah Jeffery has recently been appointed by Flintshire County Council as our Wepre Park Development Officer, thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s ‘Parks for People’ initiative.
The Council was awarded a ‘first round pass’* from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which included development funding of £30,700. The development funding has financed Sarah’s post, and means that detailed plans for the restoration and redevelopment of the country park in Connah’s Quay can be formulated, so that we can then submit a ‘stage two’ bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund, to request the money to restore the park.
Situated on the outskirts of Connah’s Quay, Wepre Park was part of an important 18th-century estate and the backdrop to Ewloe Castle, a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In the 1940s, the land was bought by the local council and was gradually transformed in the post-war period into a public park, which is now owned by Flintshire County Council.
Sarah’s role will involve consulting on and developing the proposals for the park, which include restoring the Old Hall Formal Gardens, improving paths, developing a new community garden, and interpretation and access to Ewloe Castle.
Tom Woodall, Head of Flintshire Countryside Service, said:
“Sarah is an ideal person for this role; she has a wide experience in developing large scale projects and also a keen interest in the outdoors. She is looking forward to getting people involved and making a real difference to the park and its visitors.”
Sarah said:
“We are really keen to involve as many people as possible in these exciting plans for restoring and enhancing the special heritage of Wepre Park in Connah’s Quay. This is a wonderful opportunity for people to get involved in making significant improvements to this beautiful and historic area.”
Nic York, Chair of the Friends of Wepre Park, said:
“It’s really good news to have Sarah on board the team at Wepre, she’ll be a real asset to the park and we all look forward to getting involved.”
Sarah will be running a number of consultation events and an online forum, and is keen to hear from anyone with old pictures or memories of the Park, or the Old Hall. If you want to take part, or just to be kept informed, contact Sarah Jeffery or the Friends of Wepre Park at the Wepre Park Visitors Centre on 01244 814931 or email [email protected]
