Two New Sets of Wings for Butterfly Park

 

The Silver Jubilee gates at New Ferry Butterfly Park

New Ferry Butterfly Park celebrated the 27th open season to the public with the unveiling of the Silver Jubilee entrance gates. Delayed due to the pandemic, these are to celebrate the first 25 years of the park being open to the public.

A reminder of the old gates at the Butterfly Park.
Quite the transformation!

The spectacular gates were opened by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Mr Mark Blundell, who said “New Ferry faces the many challenges of an inner-city area and this was compounded further by the explosion of March 2017 which destroyed a third of the main precinct. The Butterfly Park is seen as an emblem of hope and re-birth, in fact New Ferry sees itself as a butterfly town, with #Love New Ferry graffiti art by the former Co-op and the “I love New Ferry stickers in the shops” both with a butterfly theme. These spectacular gates will help secure the site and offer the opportunity to provide a welcoming entrance and celebrate the continued success of New Ferry Butterfly Park.”

The gates being opened by
Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Mr Mark Blundell

The Lord Lieutenant and his wife Suzanne were given an hour tour of the park and took an interest in the environmental stalls, especially the spider stall. The Lord Lieutenant immersed himself fully in the activities and wanted to make a fruit smoothie drink for his wife and himself using a cycle powered blender to chop up the fruit of her choice. No mean feat when you have a sword to steady as you pedal. Who says chivalry is dead!

The Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside making a bicycle-powered smoothie

Nearly a thousand guests enjoyed the day at the park amongst the stalls, wildlife and refreshments.

Stalls at the Open Day at the Butterfly Park

Under the gazebo at the Open Day

Visitors at the Open Day

These gates have been the Park committee’s most ambitious project to date with support from a broad range of sources: a legacy from the late Frank Cottrell who was instrumental in getting Cheshire Wildlife Trust to take on board New Ferry Butterfly Park, an online Crowdfunder appeal, Wirral Borough Council, Wirral Wildlife, Wirral Farmers’ Market Community Fund, Poulton Hall Walled Garden Trust and the largest part by The Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund i.e. Her Majesty The Queen.

Edd Snell, the designer of the gates, who engaged the various contractors to make this bespoke and functional art work said “It has been a pleasure to be part of this project. I am extremely pleased with the entrance gates, they are vibrant, welcoming, and interpretative and do exactly what we set out to achieve. I hope the gates help create a warm welcome to the park and encourage more people to visit, volunteer and experience the wonderful offer here. It was an ambitious project and only possible with the dedication of volunteers at the Park and the skilled workforce of Flintshire Fabrication and Dunkil Developments.” The gates were carefully painted by Carol and Ian Ramsay who added their own inspired signature of the stripped antennae.

Dingy skipper, photographed at the Butterfly Park by Roy Lowry

As well as the fresh comma wings on the gate, another new set of wings seen at the park this week was a Dingy Skipper Butterfly, which has not been seen at the park for over two decades. This is a great endorsement of our habitat management for butterflies at the park. What could be better! Come to the park, have your photograph taken by the Silver Jubilee Gates and see what wildlife you can spot. We are still spotting new creatures 29 years on from starting to manage the site.

The park is now open every Sunday, 12noon to 4pm, until Sunday 11th September. Please come and enjoy the park’s wildlife at a more tranquil pace (and maybe spot a dingy skipper!). The Wirral Wildlife plant sale continues weekly whilst stocks last and new stocks are being propagated.