Croxteth Country Park is set to benefit from almost £2 million of initial investment after being chosen as the first project supported by the newly established Queen Elizabeth Trust.

Liverpool City Council and the Queen Elizabeth Trust are joining forces on an ambitious programme designed to unlock more of the 500-acre park’s potential, improve facilities and increase opportunities for local communities to enjoy the site.

The Queen Elizabeth Trust is one of three memorial projects announced by the Government in April to honour the legacy of the late Queen Elizabeth II, alongside a national memorial in St James’s Park and a digital memorial.

His Majesty The King is Royal Patron of the Trust, which is currently in its pilot phase ahead of its formal launch in Spring 2027.

Inspired by the late Queen’s belief that “everyone is our neighbour”, the charity will work with communities across the UK to provide funding and specialist support to restore and sustain shared spaces at the heart of local life.

Croxteth Country Park will become the first project supported by the Trust as it develops its approach ahead of launching a future UK-wide funding programme.

The initial phase will bring together almost £2 million of combined investment from the Queen Elizabeth Trust and the Lady Sefton Trust, which was bequeathed for the benefit of Liverpool and is held in the custodianship of Liverpool City Council.

Subject to final agreement, plans are expected to include further restoration of the park’s Community Garden, helping to support wellbeing, volunteering, skills development and inclusive access.

A new natural amphitheatre is also proposed, alongside a pump track for children and young people aimed at creating more opportunities to get active and develop confidence and skills.

The partnership will also support the creation of a new masterplan setting out the long-term future of Croxteth Country Park.

The park already attracts around 600,000 visits each year, despite parts of the site remaining underused. The masterplan will explore how future projects should be delivered and the investment required to make more of the park accessible and attractive to visitors.

Croxteth Country Park has been part of Liverpool life for generations, with its wider catchment home to almost 220,000 people, including approximately 38,000 children.

Liverpool also held a special place in the life of Queen Elizabeth II. During her Golden Jubilee visit to the city in 2002, she described Merseyside as “one of the most distinctive and energetic parts of the United Kingdom” and reflected on Liverpool’s history of communities coming together.

The Croxteth project will allow the Queen Elizabeth Trust to test how funding, specialist expertise and partnerships can best help local organisations turn ideas into lasting improvements.

Learning from the project will then help shape the Trust’s future work across the UK.

Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said:

“Croxteth Park has brought generations of Liverpudlians together and we want it to play just as important a role for generations to come.

“We have long had ambitious plans for the estate, but realising its full potential requires us to think at a different scale. The Queen Elizabeth Trust’s support, investment and expertise has galvanised our ambition and means we can go further than we could have achieved alone.

“Together, we can breathe new life into parts of this much-loved estate, create more opportunities for the communities around it, and help ensure that future generations can enjoy Croxteth just as generations of Liverpudlians have before them.”

Sir Damon Buffini CVO, Chair of the Queen Elizabeth Trust, said:

“Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth believed deeply in service, in community and in the things that bring people together. Throughout her reign she celebrated the extraordinary heritage, culture and natural beauty of the United Kingdom, and the communities that give those places meaning.

“The Queen Elizabeth Trust wants to carry that spirit forward by helping to ensure our great, shared places remain part of everyday life, and everyone has the opportunity to experience and enjoy them.

“That is why we are so excited that Croxteth Country Park will be our first project. We want to work hand in hand with the Council and local communities, listening to the people who know the park best and working with them to shape its future.”

Liverpool City Council will continue to own and manage Croxteth Country Park and remain responsible for its long-term stewardship.

Further details of the Queen Elizabeth Trust’s nationwide funding programme are expected when the charity formally launches in Spring 2027.

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