Botanic Gardens in Southport celebrates 150th Birthday with huge family fun day

THE historic Botanic Gardens in Churchtown in Southport is celebrating its 150th Birthday with a special family event this summer; and you're all invited!

The Botanic Gardens Fun Day 150 event sponsored by The Settle Inn will take place at the park, on:- Botanic Road, between:- 10am and 4pm, on:- Sunday, 15 June 2025 (Father's Day) with thousands of visitors once again expected.

Admission is free, with donations welcome to support the ongoing upkeep of the gardens.

The event is organised by Jess Rickers and the Botanic Gardens Community Association.

The park has been welcoming generations of families ever since 1875.

There will be lots on offer for families to enjoy including:- fairground rides, dance groups, stalls, giant bubbles, donkey rides, live music, birds of prey, and more.

This year Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service will be out in numbers, with a:- police van, police dogs, a fire engine, mounted police, and other things for families to enjoy.

Sefton Council is putting together a bid for Heritage Lottery funding to make improvements to the Botanic Gardens, and there will be an opportunity to learn more about how you can support their bid.

Over the past 15 years the park has been maintained and improved by an incredible group of Botanic Gardens Community Association volunteers led by David and Ann Cobham, now both 83 years old. The couple won the Sefton Community Impact Award at the 2024 Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards for their work.

New volunteers are urgently needed to care for the park, and people will be able to chat with members of the BCGA to find out how they can help.

Jess Rickers said:- "The 150th Birthday of the Botanic Gardens is an amazing milestone to celebrate! This is going to be a magical event with plenty to offer the entire family. So many generations have enjoyed this amazing space since it was opened during the Victorian era. We want to give the Botanic Gardens the celebration it deserves and we'd love to see as many people coming to enjoy the day as possible. Admission is free but we would always welcome any donations to the Botanic Gardens Community Association to support the ongoing upkeep and improvements at the park. This our fourth event and these fun days keep getting bigger and better. There will be so much to do! We have more stalls than ever, with a mix of local businesses and local charities. Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue have been so supportive of the Southport community over the past year. We are looking forward to seeing them coming with so much that children will love, including their police van, fire engine, police dogs, and police horses. You can see local dance schools performing throughout the day. That part of the event is being organised and run by Funky Monkees, with Katy Hibbert leading that for us. Southport Hesketh Round Table will be working with them, providing a DJ. Dance groups performing will include DBA, Babyballet, Wright's Performing Arts, Rhythm Time Southport and Express Performing Arts. Children from Express Performing Arts will also be making and selling bracelets to raise money for the new Bebe's Hive charity. Our popular bubbleologists from Paris Bubbles are making a welcome return, their huge bubbles are always very popular. We'll have face painting; birds of prey; donkey rides; StarKidz will be doing a silent disco. The Settle Inn, which is sponsoring the event, will be hosting a BBQ; selling food, drinks and ice cream; and will be selling plants. People will be able to enjoy free popcorn courtesy of Hickory's in Southport. We'll have live music with a jazz band, a ukulele band, and the sea cadets band. The Botanic Gardens is right next to the beautiful Churchtown Village, which is full of fantastic local independent restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops. It's a perfect opportunity to enjoy a full day in Churchtown and enjoy everything that the Village has to offer. This event is always busy so please come on foot or by public transport if you are able. Please take any rubbish home with you; it's always handy to bring cash, as not all of the stalls have card machines. Sefton Council has been really supportive. They are providing funds for bins and portable toilets and are also sending 2 Green Sefton employees along to help. This year's event has been a real team effort by the whole community. There are so many local groups working together to make this special 150th birthday event happen."

The Botanic Gardens really is a park run by the community for the local community. There is so much time, effort and passion put in by volunteers in all weathers.

The Southport and Churchtown Botanic Gardens and Museum Company was set up by Mayor Walter Smith in 1875.

The company went about raising �18,000 to build a botanical garden, museum, tea rooms and a conservatory.

The company bought 20 acres from the Heskeths, at Meols Hall and built the gardens.

On 15 May 1875, the Botanic Gardens opened. The following year the Conservatory and Museum were completed, and opened in April.

Phineas T Barnum - the inspiration behind:- 'The Greatest Showman' movie; was on the Advisory Committee. He donated his iconic:- 'ringmaster' hat as an exhibit.

The Fernery opened in 1876 and contains one of the finest collections of ferns in the UK.

The Botanic Gardens looks immaculate; and it's all thanks to the volunteers who keep it looking that way, throughout the year.

Jess Rickers said:- "What David and Ann Cobham and the other volunteers have achieved, at the Botanic Gardens, over the past 15 years is remarkable. They really are pillars of our community. We owe them so much. Over the past 15 years they have gone into that park every day, except Christmas Day, to put in new plants, raise funds, do the weeding, clear the rubbish, maintain the fernery and the aviary; it's a huge job. They urgently need new volunteers, and they'd appreciate any support from anyone who is happy to give some time to help create a bright future for the park for the years ahead."

If anyone would like any more details about the Botanic Gardens Fun Day 150 event, please email Jess Rickers at:- Jess3210@Hotmail.Com.

6 Bizarre UK Property Laws You've Probably Broken Without Realising

ELITE Realty Invest's Darren Gallagher lifts the lid on the weirdest legal rules affecting British homeowners; and the real legislation behind them. From urinating near your car to being fined for mowing the grass outside your fence, the UK is home to some surprisingly strange property laws which many of are still active and enforceable today!

According to Darren Gallagher, property expert and founder of Elite Realty Invest, these lesser-known rules catch homeowners off guard more often than you�d think.

Darren Gallagher explains:- "There's a real gap between what people assume they're allowed to do on their own land and what the law actually. Just because a rule seems old fashioned doesn't mean it can't land you in legal trouble."

Here, are 7 of the strangest that Darren was surprised to fine are legally grounded property laws that are still in force within the UK today:-

1. Can you legally pee in your own garden? Technically, yes... But only if it's private and not visible to others. There's a widely shared belief that a man can urinate on his rear wheel with 1 hand on the vehicle; a claim often attributed to historic taxi driver allowances. However, no formal legislation exists to support this. Importantly, if someone can see you and finds it offensive or alarming, it could result in a fine! Legal basis:- Public urination that causes offence can fall under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, which covers behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, even on private land if visible to the public.

2. You must offer cut tree branches back to your neighbour... If a neighbour's tree hangs into your garden, you have the right to cut branches back to your boundary; but you are legally obliged to offer the cuttings back to the tree's owner. Throwing them back without consent or disposing of them could lead to a civil dispute. Legal basis:- This obligation falls under Common Law Tort (Trespass to Goods) and has been tested in case law, including:- Lopes v Vaughan [2012] EWCA Civ 214.

3. Looking into your neighbour's window can constitute harassment... Even from your own home, if your behaviour causes distress; such as:- persistently looking into a neighbour's property; it can be classed as harassment. If proven, the affected party may be able to seek legal action, including an injunction. Legal basis:- Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and common law relating to nuisance and privacy invasion.

4. Mowing a Council owned verge outside your home could be illegal... Many homeowners take pride in tidying the verge outside their home, but if it belongs to the local authority:- cutting, planting or altering it without permission may be considered unlawful interference. Legal basis:- Highways Act 1980 - Section 132, which prohibits unlawful alterations to highways, including grass verges managed by the local council.

5. Hanging washing in your front garden can be banned in some areas... While it might seem harmless, certain Councils restrict where washing can be hung; particularly in conservation areas or near listed buildings. These aesthetic controls can include:- bans on visible clotheslines, even on your own land. Legal basis:- Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the General Permitted Development Order 2015, particularly where Article 4 Directions are in place to limit permitted development rights.

6. Your neighbour may have a legal:- 'Right to Light' If a window has received uninterrupted natural light for over 20 years, the property owner may have acquired a legal right to that light. Any new structure you build that blocks this light could be challenged in Court. Legal basis:- Prescription Act 1832 and established case law including HKRUK II (CHC) Ltd v Heaney [2010], where a building was partially demolished due to blocking light.

7. You may need planning permission for a driveway... If you lay impermeable paving over more than five square metres of front garden without proper drainage (such as soakaways), planning permission may be required. Without it, councils can issue enforcement notices and require the work to be reversed. Legal basis:- The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 � Schedule 2, Part 1, Class F.

Gallagher added:- "All of these laws have a basis in real legislation or case law. Even the strangest ones can come back to bite you if you�re not aware of them; especially when neighbours or local authorities get involved."

Elite Realty Invest advises homeowners to always check:- local planning rules, review boundary responsibilities, and understand their rights before making any alterations to their property or garden.

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Botanic Gardens in Southport celebrates 150th Birthday with huge family fun day

6 Bizarre UK Property Laws You've Probably Broken Without Realising