Partington residents will see the official opening ceremony of the much-anticipated Redbrook Nature Trail on Saturday 31 May 2008 by legendary botanist, David Bellamy OBE, which will include a fun-filled day of entertainment and celebration.

The official opening event follows many months of hard work and dedication shown by Partington Housing Association, a member of Harvest Housing Group, Partington Original Women’s Educational & Recreational Group (POWER), residents from the area and several other groups including Esc@pe and Sodexho and who have kindly contributed to the project.

Since Partington Housing Association successfully obtained a grant from the European Regional Development Fund in 2006, all involved parties have channelled much energy into the improvement of an area along the Redbrook River from Warburton Lane, Partington, leading to Coroners Wood. An additional award of £1,000 towards the project also came from Harvest Housing Group’s Montgomery Neighbourhood Awards in 2007.

Positive improvement work such as: clearing litter and debris from the site, cleaning the river and bulb planting have taken place, thanks in part to POWER, who formed the steering group for the project and organised various planning and consultation events.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place between 12 and 1pm on 31 May, and after opening the Wildlife Trail to all, David Bellamy will be on hand to answer questions regarding the ‘new and improved’ natural surroundings. The children of Forest Gate Primary School will come along to sing a celebratory song and provide some entertainment, as well as willow weavers, bird box making and a children’s entertainer & face painter.

Commenting on the event, Peter Wallroth, Neighbourhood Regeneration Officer for Partington Housing Association said:

“This fantastic occasion will mark the culmination of a great deal of planning and effort from many people in the community. The Redbrook Wildlife Trail will benefit the whole community and will hopefully leave a long lasting legacy for future generations”.