Queen’s Park celebrates 160th anniversary with community party

There were stalls, games, music, and refreshments on offer to mark the occasion as Bolton’s premier park celebrated 160 years since its opening in 1866.

Bolton Council leader Cllr Akhtar Zaman and other notable faces were in attendance to celebrate the anniversary of – as Cllr Zaman put it – ‘the jewel in Bolton’s crown’.

(Image: HENRY LISOWSKI)

Cllr Zaman said: “It’s been a great day. It’s really nice to see so many organisations from Bolton out here raising awareness for their causes.

“This park is right in the heart of our community. It’s an asset for people across Bolton – it brings different communities together.

“The café was built with heritage lottery funding, and there has been a lot of restoration work to bring the park back to its former glory, which has really paid off.

“I think this park is one of the best places in Bolton – the ‘jewel in the crown’.”

There were several stalls dotting the park, each one representing a different organisation.

The most unusual – and most noticeable – was a group of people at the back dressed in what looked like medieval knight armour.

These were representatives from the Historia Normannis group, who do live historical re-enactments across the country.

(Image: HENRY LISOWSKI)

“We primarily do the 12th century,” said Ben, or ‘Richard of London,’ to use his character’s name.

“We try to show what life would have been like for people living 900 years ago – how they lived, ate, slept, loved, fought.

“We do battle re-enactments, show people how to make bows, give talks, that sort of thing. It’s ‘edutainment’.

Ben, aka Richard of London (left), and Aaron from Historia Normannis (Image: Dan Dougherty)

Other local and community groups set up stalls for the event, such as environmental group Bolton Green Umbrella, represented by Barb Hackett.

“We’ve been going about 10 years,” Barb told me.

“We’re about protecting Bolton’s green spaces and providing support to communities.”

Barb Hackett of the Bolton Green Umbrella (Image: Dan Dougherty)

Bolton Green Umbrella are currently leading a push to combat invasive Himalayan Balsam – a pretty pink plant that unfortunately causes a lot of damage to the UK’s natural ecology.

“It’s invasive – it erodes riverbanks, for example. It’s become a massive problem.

“We’re trying to make people more aware of it. If you see it, you can just pull it up by the root – it’s not difficult to get rid of, but people need to be aware.”

(Image: HENRY LISOWSKI)

Opposite the Green Umbrella was the Halliwell Community Alliance stall.

The Halliwell Community Alliance work to promote social causes around the area, such as litter picking, community togetherness, and seeks to maintain local history.

“We work with all the schools, all the churches, all the mosques, all the madrasas,” said Gwyneth (Gwen) Bailey, one of the group’s key organisers.

Left to right: John Pinder, Gwyneth Bailey, Shamin Panchbhaya, and Edith Lapworth of the Halliwell Community Alliance (Image: Dan Dougherty)

“It’s all about community togetherness, because we’re all so much stronger together.”

The group has recently been working on a scheme to encourage people to beautify their back streets in an attempt to improve the area’s atmosphere and deter littering.

They are also working on the ‘Elephant Trail’, a historical trail around the area that directs people to locations of interest.

Elephant in a suit (Image: Dan Dougherty)

An elephant – a symbol of Bolton – is present at each stop on the trail, currently at four.

One of the elephants – designed by local artist John Pinder – is wearing a three-piece suit in reference to the nearby mill, which used to be Burton’s Tailoring.

“We were one of Bolton’s first community alliance group,” Gwen told me, “so they often look to us for guidance.

(Image: HENRY LISOWSKI)

“We like to think of ourselves as a bastion of good practice!

“And by working together with everyone in the community, we achieve far more than we would on our own.”

The Halliwell group works with other similar groups around Bolton, creating a network of organisations dedicated to improving their own areas.

All in all, the 160th anniversary was a celebration of togetherness, with groups of all stripes coming out to interact and meet one another, in a park which is such a community focal point.