Launches City Wide Battle of the Bands in 2026

KEEP reading to learn how you can join in with Sefton's incredible outdoor volunteering efforts! This week we heard that Sefton Council has hosted 2 sparkling:- 'Thank You' events in December to celebrate remarkable green volunteers and their award winning efforts.

Green Sefton, which oversees 6,500 hectares of coast, parks and green spaces, organised the back to back bashes.

They took the opportunity to highlight the brilliance of volunteers, who; according to latest figures; commit close to:- 60,000 hours of work every year.

On Wednesday, 3 December 2025, more than:- 115 people converged on:- Southport Market for the 1st event.

The 2nd evening was held on:- Wednesday, 10 December 2025, which was set up to celebrate volunteers in the South and Central Sefton areas within the Borough. This event was held at:- Crosby's Lake House.

Attending the events were:- Sefton's Mayor, Cllr June Burns, and Council Leader Cllr Marion Atkinson. Cllrs Mhairi Doyle, Peter Harvey and Diane Roscoe, 3 members of the Council's Cabinet, also appeared to give thanks.



Sefton's volunteer groups are made up by hundreds of people, ranging from young people to retirees. They are open to all comers, whether they take part in one litter pick, or decide to commit significant amounts of time to maintaining Sefton's natural habitat.

And the figures show that the time put in by volunteer groups is very significant indeed. Green Sefton estimates that a whopping:- 57,000 hours of volunteering were logged in 2024 alone. That total is expected to rise when 2025's hours are tallied.

The benefits have been felt everywhere, whether through the reduction of invasive non-native Sea Buckthorn on the coast, to parks and green spaces being tidied and decorated with stunning flower arrangements.

Those arrangements led to glory for Sefton this year. Amid a flurry of honours, prestigious:- Gold Awards from the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom were handed to:- Bootle, Crosby and Waterloo, Ainsdale and Southport.

The latter went a step further, bringing the:- 'Champion of Champions' trophy to Sefton for the 1st time in the awards' 50 year history.

Why not join in? Whether it's a few hours or the whole year, every second you can give is massively appreciated. The impact of being out and about on physical and mental health can't be understated either. But don't just take it from Sefton Council's view here's Green Sefton's John Dempsey:- "If you are looking for a task for a group or corporate volunteering day out, why not contact us. When the weather is good, a day cutting and rooting out this shrub can be a pleasure and a chance to make new friends or connect existing teams. When the weather is bad; well, it is still character building!"

All you need to bring, whether you're an individual or a group, are warm clothes and a positive attitude. Simply send an email to:- GreenSefton@Sefton.Gov.UK to ask for more details! And if joining a volunteer group in a green space is more your speed, there are many of them up and down the Borough. You can also learn more about helping out your community now by visiting Sefton Council's website on the section:- 'Friends of parks and garden volunteers.'

Helping out could be your New Year's Resolution, and it helps everyone!

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