Achievements
Since the re-opening in 2001 the Trust has helped establish Sefton Park Palm House as:
- A clean, gleaming, verdant and popular place to visit for all ages, with many regulars.
- A financially self-sustaining organisation making a financial contribution towards the building’s maintenance and ongoing refurbishment. The Trust has also purchased supplementary heating and misting systems to improve the Palm House environment.
- A range of grants and sponsorships gained to support the Trust’s work and additional activities with local communities.
- The quality of the Trust’s work recognised through Awards: Green Pennant Award, VAQAS, Investors in People, Green Tourism Business Award.
- A programme of free events all year round including tea dances, concerts by local choirs, orchestras and groups, including a lunchtime concert by a local school.
- Celebration days – Family Fun Days, Plant Days, Mothers’ Day together with a range of events for children – Halloween, Easter Egg Hunt, Christmas and Peter Pan parties.
- Partnership events –
- Cultural Food Feast for Black History Month
- Arabic Arts Festival Family Day
- DaDa Fest
- Partnership working developed with clear objectives and roles – partners include amongst others: Arena Housing Association, Liverpool Rangers & Parks Dept, The Windows Project, Bellerive FCJ School, Shorefields Secondary School, Tenantspin, Liverpool Culture Company.
- Innovative projects initiated by Sefton Park Palm House
- IOU sound installation Hothouse and performance to 3000 in Sefton Park on Midsummer Night of Tattoo (2003).
- HearSay – a collaboration with The Windows Project and Apples & Snakes to develop performance poetry skills in young people from Chinese, Somalian and Caribbean communities in Liverpool (2004).
- Leading Lights – the participatory strand of public artwork Light Signatures (commissioned for Sefton Park by LHAT), whereby local people choose new signatures to be projected on to the park perimeter in 4 locations every day for a year. 5 year project. (2005 and ongoing).
- Scarabeus Theatre perform Shimadai – When Orchids Fly to full audiences in Sefton Park. A promenade performance through secret spaces of Sefton Park with aerial work. (October 2006).
- People Show 119: Ghost Sonata – a major commission and an extraordinary piece of theatre for Sefton Park Palm House running from March 2007 through to performances in April 2008. Co-commissioned by Liverpool Capital of Culture, Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust and the Arts Council of England with support from LIPA and Unity Theatre.

