A friends’ group which organises events in a Grade-II listed park is the next hopeful cause on the MEN Wish List.
The park is home to Buile Hill Mansion which is rumoured to have been the inspiration behind Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic children’s book The Secret Garden.
For the past 11 years the Friends of Buile Hill Park have organised free family fun days and worked with community groups to help them use the Salford park.
The group, made up of 12 volunteers, runs monthly car boot sales.
Along with Salford Rangers they also organise the annual May Festival which attracts thousands of visitors to the area.
Group member Carolyn Bilsborough said they wanted to encourage all members of the community to visit the park and enjoy the facilities.
She said: “Many of the people who attend our events are from disadvantaged families on low incomes and are unable to go on holiday or to theme parks.
“They enjoy coming to the park, meeting and making friends and building a community spirit.
“Parks also improve people’s health and wellbeing.”
The grounds include an 18-hole pitch and putt course, outdoor gym equipment and a kids’ play area.
Funding from Wish would be used to buy three tables and two pop-up gazebos.
These would be used at the Friends’ events and loaned to the community groups that use Buile Hill Park.
Carolyn said: “It is hard work raising the funds and increasingly difficult to obtain grants so when we receive a grant, however small, it is a great boost to the morale of our volunteers who put in hundreds of unpaid hours every year.
“Wish is a fantastic opportunity to raise funds and the profile of our group.”
*Send your Wish tokens to Buile Hill Park Garden Centre and Cafe, Eccles Old Road, Salford M6 8GL.