VAUXHALL MOTORS GOES ‘BARKING MAD' WITH BIRKENHEAD PARK

July 11, 2016 by Vauxhall

Last week, Employees from Vauxhall Ellesmere Port helped Birkenhead Park with their regeneration scheme. The park – the world's first ever publicly-funded park has been an inspiration for many other parks all around the world, most famously central park in New York, needed some improvements to their 'mini beast' area, in the hope of turning it into an outdoor learning centre.

Over the past two years Vauxhall's parent company General Motors have worked together with Central Park in New York and donated $200,000 to aid the park's conservation 'Keeping It Green' programme. With Central Park being based on Birkenhead Park, it felt only right that Vauxhall Ellesmere Port should help the local equivalent.

18 employees and contractors from VOITH, the Paint Shop, HR team, Environmental Team and Communications Team joined the Park rangers with the aim of improving the area and making it more suitable for children to learn in.

The team created a new path and mini beast area on the site after cutting through vegetation and laying out logs and bark. The team also built a three level log amphitheatre which will allow groups to sit and talk on the nearby site. Additionally the team cut back overgrown plants on the path to ensure it was safe for children and planted new water flowers, as well as building a floating island named 'Astra Island' to float in the lake.

'It is lovely to see ideas come to life, in such a short space of time. The group was fantastic fun to work with and really worked hard to help us realise the first stage of the project. We are really looking forward to future endeavours and the partnership between Birkenhead Park and Vauxhall blossoming. Astra Island is still afloat and the amphitheatre will be a great place to teach and tell stories,' said, Nic Harding, Park Ranger & Forest Schools coordinator.

Cllr Bernie Mooney, Cabinet member for Environment, said: 'We are very proud of Birkenhead Park and the status it has around the world and partnerships such as this with Vauxhall Motors just help us to enhance that further and attract even more visitors.'