November 2024
Bulb Planting in the park
Thanks to all the families that came out on a wet, muddy Sunday afternoon for our last bulb planting session of the year in the park. Over 3,000 spring bulbs - mainly tulips - were planted by nearly 70 members of the community.
Thanks to Victor and Leah for their help, as well as Andy from the RHS, Phil from Life4aLife Memorial Forest and Rob from the Health Improvement Team. A muddy but successful day. The picture shows Andy from the RHS and Leah from the Clowes Park Community preparing the ground at the start of the day.
Clearing the Lake
Volunteers and rangers braved the wet and chilly Autumn weather and got stuck into clearing rubbish and ‘Flotsam’ from the lake. This second session collected more than seven bags of rubbish, plus one traffic cone and various other flotsam.
The picture shows our intrepid volunteers Samuel and Mark with rangers Alistair, a huge thanks for their efforts to clean the lake.
Broughton Jewish Cassell Fox Primary school bulb planting and woodland walk creation
Phil from the Life4aLIfe memorial Forest and Andy from the RHS Bridgewater outreach team welcomed 100 year 5 and year 6 pupils who were very enthusiastic and planted 3,000 spring bulbs in the memorial forest orchard.
Trees were coppiced and small dead ash trees were removed creating space for the woodland walk. The children really enjoyed getting involved in something a little different and learning a new skill as well as gaining some new knowledge.
October 2024
Spring flower bulb planting in Clowes Park on Sunday 27 October
Thank you to all of those who came out to plant spring bulbs in the park, over 130 people attended the session, and 3000 spring bulbs were planted – daffodils, tulips and alliums.
A big thanks to Victor from the Number One Youth Club for giving out snacks to all the children and Leah for helping out. And of course, this wouldn’t be possible without Andy from the RHS outreach team – supported by RHS volunteers Claire and Tati.
A second bulb planting afternoon in the same area on Sunday 17 November - weather permitting. If rainy it will move to the week after on 24 November.
Cleaning the lake
Several bags of rubbish and assorted ‘Jetsom’ that was collected by a group of volunteers, Samuel, Perrot and Mark and our Rangers team Alistair and Gale - it needed some careful planning and protective kit. The amazing lake clearing volunteers will be doing more of this work to improve the lake.
Play area update
The play area is being very well utilised as always, but there are some missing elements – these are being rectified by the contactor and the correct size ‘cone’ will also be installed.
Some photos from the day
Green Gym update from the Greenspace team
A big thank you to everybody who recently contacted the council with comments about the proposed Outdoor Gym.
We appreciate this is a new facility for the park that residents and visitors may be unfamiliar with. As per every new facility there is a certain amount of apprehension and we do understand that the proposed location next to the children’s play area isn’t ideal. However, the benefits of being able to exercise outdoors on a free to use gym equipment are immense. Requests have been received for equipment to allow calisthenic exercises. As a result the proposal will be amended to include parallel bars and chin ups/pull ups.
A number of comments have been received regarding concerns that users of the gym may choose to dress inappropriately. Elsewhere within Salford this hasn’t been an issue and no complaints have been received. Screening of the gym has been suggested and considered. Due to concerns regarding personal safety this option has been ruled out. In our experience visitors to Clowes Park are amongst the most considerate and respectful communities within the city. The use of the gym will be monitored and evaluated. In the event of complaints being upheld please be assured the council will respond accordingly.
There was a request for it to be placed in another area of the park. A 30m minimum separation is required between the activity zone and the boundary of the nearest property containing a dwelling. With Clowes Park being surrounded by residential housing the location of the gym is limited to an area in front of the play area or to the south west of the lake which was ruled out in a previous consultation.
Childrens Play area update
The refurbishment of the Children’s Play Area is scheduled for completion on 18 October. We are aware that a smaller than expected rotating climbing net has mistakenly been supplied and installed. This will be changed for a larger 2.4m high net as soon as the contractor receives delivery.
Spring flower bulb planting in Clowes Park on Sunday 27 October
- Time: 2pm to 4pm
- Location: Near the Lake as you walk down the New Hall Road entrance. Look for Gazebos and friendly faces.
Help plant bulbs for a beautiful display next spring and take some bulbs away with you for home. Also, a chance to add to the conversation around what you would like from the park.
Thanks to the RHS for organising.
Weather! If the weather is severe enough to cause cancellation of the session, we have another session planned for 17 November (same time and location).
September 2024
Give your feedback on our outdoor gym proposals
Draft proposals for an Outdoor Gym to Clowes Park are now ready. Exciting! It would be located next to the play area (just outside the railings to the south).
This is a photo of one that was done last year at Eccles Recreation Ground.
The aim is to install the gym late winter/early spring so if anybody wants to comment please let us know your thoughts by Friday 8 October and they be sent to the Greenspace team. Email EastSalford.NMT@salford.gov.uk or call the call centre telephone number 0161 793 2500 (general enquires).
Play area update
There's been a slight change to the start day for work on the play area. The refurbishment will now begin on Wednesday 11 September, rather than Monday 9 September.
August 2024
Play area refurbishment
The play area refurbishment is planned to start week commencing 9 September and will take around four weeks to complete.
A big thanks to the 80 plus children and families who created some lovely planting in the Life4aLife community orchard in the park, supported by Andy from the RHS and Phil from Life4aLife memorial forest charity.
Event reminder
The Rangers will be in the park next Friday 16 August from 10am to 12pm for family activities.
July 2024
Three events just announced!
Ranger led family summer activities on Friday 2 August and Friday 16 August
- Time: 10am to 12pm
Nature trails, crafts activities and games. No booking required.
Planting in Clowes Park on Sunday 4 August
- Time: 2.30pm to 5pm
- Location: Life for Life Memorial Forest Area (behind the play area, other side of the wall)
Join us planting wildflowers in the Wildlife friendly orchard. All ages welcome and all materials and tools provided.
Weather! If the weather is severe enough to cause cancellation of the session, we have another session planned for 1 September.
Making a Woodland Walk in Clowes Park on Sunday 1 September
- Time: 2.30pm to 5pm
- Location: Life for Life Memorial Forest Area (behind the play area, other side of the wall)
Join us and help create a short woodland walk in the memorial forest creating a safe bark path and adding planting that will make the area 'magical' over time. All ages welcome and all materials and tools provided.
Weather! If the weather is severe enough to cause cancellation of the session, we will advertise a replacement session as soon as possible.
Play area refurbishment update
The refurbishment of the play area will commence in early September and take around five weeks to complete.
Alternative children’s play areas are available at:
- Mandley Park, Leicester Road
- Albert Park, Great Clowes Street
- Riverbank Park, Littleton Road
If you have any queries or questions, please contact the neighbourhood team at EastSalford.NMT@salford.gov.uk
May 2024
No Mow May
Clowes Park is taking part in ‘No Mow May’. You will see areas of the park that are not mown by Sam and the team during May, contributing to this national campaign to help bees and other pollinators.
Taster session on Sunday 12 May
Meet the Salford Ranger Team and see how you can get involved with volunteering in Clowes Park and Salford and find out about possible training opportunities and summer activities.
RHS and Life4aLife will also be doing some gardening and planting that everyone is welcome to be part of.
Drop in anytime between 2pm and 4pm at the Life4aLife area.
April 2024
Gardening taster day, woodland pathway and planting in the Life4aLife memorial forest
Thanks to the 50 people from the community of all ages who came together to create a woodland pathway and planting on Sunday 14 April (plants helpfully donated by the RHS).
Next gardening taster session and planting day will be on Sunday 12 May – everyone welcome.
Spring Bulbs planted by the community in flower!
Thanks to all the families who planted flower bulbs in the Autumn, kindly provided by the RHS and Rangers Team - now in flower for everyone in the park to enjoy.
March 2024
Gardening Taster Sessions
- Clowes Park, Salford
- Sunday 14 April and 12 May, 2pm to 4pm
Join the Rangers and RHS to help with the horticulture on your local park.
Find out all about the gardening training course that we are planning to run later in Spring.
Email: rangers@salford.gov.uk
Everyone welcome no previous experience required.
February 2024
Operation Re-home Shrubs
Sam and the maintenance team have been removing some shrubs from a nursery and put them in the pond area. They are Fagrant Sweet Box (sarcococca ruscifolia).
Play area refurbishment
In December, a draft play area plan was prepared by the council’s Greenspace team and shared with local park users at bulb planting sessions in the park, in the park noticeboard and at Broughton Hub as well as on this page. (See the December 2023 update below for a link to the plan and explanatory notes.)
Thank you to those of you who commented on the plan. All your comments were collected and considered and we have made some changes accordingly.
We are pushing the refurbishment along because we were lucky enough to be awarded an allocation from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for park. This makes up most of the £85,000 budget available for the refurbishment and the orders need to be committed soon so that we don’t miss out. The next stage is to issue the amended plan to several companies for pricing, to get best value. The anticipated date for building the refurbished play area is around June, before the school summer holidays.
Great as it is to have secured this amount, unfortunately it is not enough to include at this stage some of the bigger items some of you suggested, such as a zip wire and a higher climbing frame with slide. These will have to be considered in the future, subject to more funds being secured. Your help in applying for extra funding would be valuable. Some play items that have passed the annual play safety inspection are therefore being retained. All the safer surfaces are to be renewed in bonded rubber mulch.
To make the play area more accessible for all, the following additions and changes to the plan have been made following the consultation:
- Addition of a nest swing
- Inclusion of a Tango swing seat
Look out for more updates on the refurbishment of this popular play area!
January 2024
Thank you for your help!
A huge thank you to the 70 children and families who helped plant:
- Four apple trees
- Six oak tree saplings
- 450 wildflower plug plants
- 200 seed balls
In the Life for a Life memorial forest with the support of the RHS.
Wildflower Plug plants – these went in around the newly planted trees. 450+ Plugs in total of wildflowers Teasel, Scabious and Cow Parsley.
Seed mud Balls – the children made approximately 200+ of these to throw into the wildflower orchard area. The balls were compost mixed with clay powder and wildflower seeds. The seed mix used contained ten species of meadow grasses and 29 species of wildflowers including things such as Scabious, Hawksbit, Cowslip, Wild Carrot, Yarrow, Selfheal, Yellow Rattle and much more.
Planting trees and getting ready for spring and summer
Sam and the greenspace team have also been looking after the park, planting trees and preparing the park for the spring and summer.
Thanks to Ka Leung Chan for sending in this photo of a tree being planted
All smiles from Sam and the greenspace team
School children plant fruit trees and sow wild flowers
On Wednesday 24 January, year 6 children from the Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School planted six fruit trees and sowed a range of wild flowers at the Life4aLife memorial forest with the support of the RHS. The ceremonial Mayor of Salford presented a tree planting certificate to the school.
Don't forget that the seed balls and tree planting is happening on Sunday 28 January (details below).
Seed Balls and Tree planting in Clowes Park
- Date: Sunday 28 January 2024
- Time: 2pm to 3.30pm
- Location: Life for Life Memorial forest garden (behind the play area, other side of the wall)
Help us spread wildflower seeds in the life for life memorial forest area in the park. We will show you how to make seed balls for spreading flower seeds – a fun family activity. Also help us plant some fruit trees and a wildlife hedge.
Refreshments will be available.
Thanks to Life for a Life memorial forests and RHS for organising this event.
Weather!
If the weather is severe enough we have to cancel the event, we have 11 February planned as a back-up date (same activities, location and time)
If you have any queries, please email the Salford Council Neighbourhood - EastSalford.NMT@salford.gov.uk
December 2023
Give your views on proposed improvements for Clowes Park
The proposed improvements to Clowes Park Play Area includes the replacement of old play equipment, installation of new equipment and the refurbishment of the existing.
Proposals to the adventure play area include the following:
- Removal of the stone tower and wobble board
- Installation of a new rotating net climber and twin balance beams
- Replacement of the seat to the single point swing
- In addition edging boards around some of the equipment will be replaced, the gravel footpath re-surfaced and the play bark topped up as necessary
Works to the older play area include:
- The removal of the Igloo, Person and Commando climbers that date back to the 1970s
- Installation of a rope end/Viking swing and a rotating swing for older children
- Installation of a see-saw, sit in springy and play car for younger children
- The replacement of all swing seats and the inclusion of seating suitable for older, younger and disabled children
- The existing slide and multi-play unit that remain in a good condition will be retained and a new surfaced path is to be built linking the slide to the rest of the play area
- Installation of a new rubber safety surface to all play equipment
- Addition of new seats, benches and wheelchair accessible picnic benches
Comments welcome – please email your thoughts and suggestions through to parks@salford.gov.uk by 2 January 2024.
Bulb Planting in Clowes Park
Bulb planting took place on Sunday 10 December. We had a fantastic turn-out, with more than 40 volunteers helping to plant 2,000 spring bulbs. Thank you to everybody for coming along.
November 2023
Clearing vegetation around the lake
Sam and the grounds team have been clearing vegetation around the lake to let more light in and encourage new growth. The shrubs have been cut right back to allow them to flourish. This will also make the back area of the park feel safer.
The team will also continue to work this week on the top corner of the park (near the bridge) to open it up in the same way.
New netting on the play area
The council infrastructure team have put new netting on the play area after it damaged earlier in the year.
October 2023
3,000 spring bulbs planted by the community
A huge thanks to everyone who came out in the Autumn sunshine yesterday – over 100 people planted 3,000 spring bulbs in the park. Supported by the RHS, Life4aLife memorial forest, the council's Rangers and Health Improvement Team and the Number One Youth Club.
Weather permitting there will be a second spring bulb planting day on Sunday 19 November at 2pm.
September 2023
Bulb Planting in Clowes Park next month
- Date and time: Sunday 22 October, 2pm to 4pm
- Location: Near the Lake as you walk down the New Hall Road entrance. Look for Gazebos and friendly faces.
Help plant bulbs for a beautiful display next spring and see what other free activities we have on offer. Take away with you a small pot of crocus to grow at home. Also a chance to add to the conversation around what you would like from the park.
Please save the date, join us and share with friends and family.
Salford Rangers Service and the great team at RHS Bridgewater (aka Andy) will be co ordinating the session.
If you have any queries, please email the Salford Council Neighbourhood - EastSalford.NMT@salford.gov.uk
Memorial area
Sam and the team have cleared the area around the memorial birch trees and plaque in the park and the team at Life for a Life have reaffixed the plaque in place.
August 2023
Sam and the team have provided more ‘cushion fall’ protection in the play area:
Park maintenance plan
This is the park maintenance plan that Sam and the team are working to maintain and improve Clowes Park:
- Replace timber and netting to damaged climber
- Fit inclusive swing seat to existing frame
- Install second litter bin by gate
- Replace re-cycling bin opposite play area
- Replace old round bin opposite Brantwood Road entry
- Sow wildflower mix on site of boathouse
- Cut back tree/scrub around lake edge
- Remove sign adjacent to noticeboard
- Replace coping stones to main seating area
- Clear leaves inside all entry gates
- Move railing back 1.2m or cut back seam and re-surface at training walls:
- By Brantwood Road entry
- Opposite Parklake Avenue
- Replace slats to damaged seats
- Plant selected standard tree replacements
July 2023
Freshly painted playground railings
Sam and the grounds maintenance team have painted the playground railings at Clowes Park – don’t they look colourful?!
March 2023
Boundary wall between the play areas and the Life for a Life memorial forest
Following recent inspections and recommendations on safety, we have had to address the condition of the historic red brick wall that separates the play areas and the Life for a Life memorial forest.
As it is historic to Clowes Park, we looked at how we could keep the wall without it imposing a health and safety risk. The recommendation was to take down the top one metre of the wall and restore the remaining wall, which has now been completed.
An additional benefit of lowering this section of boundary wall is that lines of sight into the memorial forest are improved. Much of the anti-social behaviour reported takes place here and this enhanced visibility will assist park patrols and self-policing.
If you have any comments or wish to share your thoughts on how we can work together to improve Clowes Park, you can email us at EastSalford.NMT@salford.gov.uk
Help keep Clowes Park clean and safe for everyone
Please let us know if:
- the bins need emptying
- graffiti, litter, or fly-tipping needs removing
- you see any damage to equipment
Call us: 0161 793 2500 (or 0161 794 8888 evenings and weekends if urgent)
Tell us on Twitter: @SalfordCCHelp
If you witness a crime please inform the police on 101
February 2023
Clowes Park workshop
A workshop was held on Monday 6 February at Broughton Hub to carry on conversations about how we can work together to make improvements to Clowes Park.
The workshop:
- Highlighted the conversation findings (what you value about the park, what are the concerns, what you want to see and how you want to be involved)
- Showcased the achievements and significant improvements made possible by a community group at another local park
- Identified the key areas of interest and how people want to get involved
Many different viewpoints were expressed and although not everyone shared the same vision, we are hopeful that the interest groups proposed (outlined below) will soon make some tangible improvements to the park and follow up on the areas of interest.
There was interest in:
- A park history group
- A park tidying group
- A group to look at funding for larger pieces of work, particularly the play area
- Researching the feasibility of memorial benches
To progress these areas of interest, we will be setting dates shortly for everyone to come together to discuss further.
This page was last updated on 19 November 2024