A COMMUNITY project helping adults with learning disabilities in Wirral has been singled out for a special award by an environmental charity celebrating "wild spaces".

The Royden Park Project, run by Wirral Evolutions, has received a John Muir Award for connecting people with the local environment.

Wirral Evolutions is a local authority trading company set up by Wirral Council to provide day service activities to vulnerable adults.

Cllr Chris Meaden, Wirral's cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture said: “For a number of years, the Royden Park Project has been receiving enthusiastic praise for its work to offer supported, structured activities for adults with learning difficulties.

“The John Muir Awards recognises projects that connect people with their local environment, and the Royden Park Project is a special example of that work. It also plays a vital role in providing education and training for vulnerable adults.”

Wirral Globe: Volunteers at the Royden Park Project.

Wirral Globe:

While the Royden Park Project works across the whole of the park, the group decided to focus their John Muir Award work on the Walled Garden.

The group’s work has now been featured as a Case Study on the John Muir Trust’s website.

The group learned about the birds that inhabit the garden, which include woodpeckers, buzzards and kestrels, which rear their young in the Old Coach House. They cultivated a laburnum arch, built a bug hotel and studied the pond life that has taken up residence in the Walled Garden’s water feature.

Mark Humphreys, who leads the project for Wirral Evolutions said: “Staff and volunteers have become award of the increased confidence of group members and a greater willingness to contribute and interact. For us the success has been twofold – greater awareness of the environment and greater personal development.”