Our History

After a 2 year break, Carols in the Park returned with great weather as well. Some changes made due to Covid-19 concerns – moving the band to the Tennis Court quadrant, having a Santa Trail instead of a Santa’s grotto were popular and may be retained for future Carols.

The Heatons Men in Sheds lent their talents and replaced the noticeboard cover, which had become clouded over time.

Drainage had long plagued the Football quadrant. The council took action and dug a soakaway in the Wild Corner (Buckingham Road and Park Road). This helped keep the path from being a pond during the subsequent rains.

Despite the pandemic restrictions, the Friends commissioned an owl to be carved from a tree stump remaining in the toddler play area. A magnificent carving, it was named in 2021 as HARRIS in a community competition.

The Covid-19 pandemic landed in the UK, and the usual Easter Egg Hunt, Summer Fair, Carols events, Garden in the Park Days were cancelled. Like everyone else, the Friends discovered Zoom and continued meetings on a virtual basis.

The Heatons Men in Sheds rejuvenated the cable railings along the Woodland Walk, repaired the posts in the Toddler Area and renewed the Fascia in the pavilion,

The Friends received grant funding to replace the somewhat dilapidated Pavilion kitchen units, replace the flooring and heaters and re-decorate the walls.

John and Carol Yeomans, who had been started the original Park Action Group and contributed massively to the success of the Friends of Heaton Moor park, decided to take their retirement years elsewhere and left the Heaton Moor area. They were passionate about the park and supported with unstinting energy and generosity the efforts of the Friends to secure the future and beauty of this very special park.

Free running fitness sessions for all ages and abilities started in Heaton Moor Park on 19th January 2013, taking place every Saturday at 11am for one hour. The sessions are delivered by Chris Hodkinson who is a qualified Run England / UK Athletics’ Run Group Leader.

The weekly t.stop cafe started to serve a wonderful range of cakes and drinks at the pavilion and this continued into 2015.

Fundraising through ‘elevenes’ cake sales at the regular Friday Knitting Friends gathering enabled the group to donate a bench to the park, which is located outside the bowling pavilion.

SK Solutions stopped providing gate locking services. In response, the Friends organised the locking and unlocking of the 4 gates on a rota system, with the help of local residents. This continued until 2016.

The Green Flag Award Scheme was launched in 1996 and provides a benchmark for the best green spaces in the country. Any spaces that are open to the public and free to enter are eligible to apply.SMBC made an appliction for this award to the Park with support from the Friends of Heaton Moor Park. Heaton Moor Park was awarded the Green Flag in September 2011.

Friends of Heaton Moor Park opened a website to offer information about the park and the future of this much loved green space. www.heatonmoorpark.co.uk

Work began in January 2010 on a new tennis court, a picnic area and ball play facility. The replacement of railings (taken down during WWII) was finally completed, with funds secured by Friends of Heaton Moor Park. This had taken 18 months and much hard work fundraising led by Pauline Randall, with support from SMBC.

Funds were received from the following sources:

Groundwork Community Spaces (Big Lottery)
Foundation for Sport and the Arts
Manchester Airport Community Trust Fund
SITA Trust
Grassroots Fund
Rotary Club of Stockport Lamplighter
SMBC Reddish and 4 Heatons Flexibility Fund
SMBC developers commuted sums
Local hero and NBA basketball player John Amaechi officially opened these facilities on 1st May 2010.

Despite securing £40,000 to support the planning necessary to make a bid for £1.2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the group found out in September 2008 that they had not been successful in their second attempt. However, efforts immediately turned to fundraising and putting together plans and applications for work on the tennis court quadrant.

As a result of campaigning and representation from the Friends, Tom Kay was appointed as Community Parks Officer at Heaton Moor Park. This was the first time the park had dedicated local authority presence since the cuts of the 1980s.

The group was successful in gaining grants from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Living Spaces, Manchester Airport Community Trust Fund, as well as matched funding from SMBC. This enabled the group to build a toddler play area on the site of the old greenhouse. The play area officially opened 5 September 2004.

Friends of Heaton Moor Park applied for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant which would allow for total renovation of park facilities and landscaping. Unfortunately the application was not put forward by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council.

Despite the efforts of The Friends, the park’s tennis courts fell into disuse due to a lack of nets; and benches, walls and other fittings in the park fell into decline and disrepair through vandalism and wear.

Heaton Moor Park Action Group became The Friends of Heaton Moor Park.

In July of this year, The Friends held a centenary celebration in the park to mark the 100 years that the park had been enjoyed by local residents.

The HMPAG held their first “workday”, pruning and clearing overgrown shrubs, planting bulbs and greenery.

Following a lack of maintenance, and eventually vandalism and disrepair, the park’s greenhouse – an emblem of the horticultural oasis the park had once been – was demolished.

Stockport Council won Britain in Bloom for Heaton Moor Park. At this time the park shared the services of 4 permanent gardeners with local schools.

The park’s playing field was dug up and used for growing vegetables. The iron railings which marked the park’s perimeter were taken down to support the wartime drive for scrap metal.

An OS map published showed the park as well established, with bowling greens, tennis courts, a green house, fish pond and even a drinking fountain.

Also popular sports of the time, tennis courts and a croquet lawn were built.

The park was officially opened as part of Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee celebrations. The opening ceremony included the opening of the park gates with a golden key by Mr. Thomas Shann, chairman of the Recreation Grounds committee.

In 1894, Lord Egerton of Tatton donated approximately 4 acres of land to Heaton Norris District Council. The land was placed into a charitable trust for the free use and enjoyment of the public for play, pleasure and recreation. This became Heaton Moor Park and the official opening took place on 17 July 1897 to coincide with Queen Victoria’s diamon d jubilee celebrations.

Over the next few years, the park developed into an attractive open space for local residents providing for their enjoyment: two bowling greens, three tennis courts, a croquet lawn, formal flower beds, a bandstand, a greenhouse and a pavilion.

THE PARK LAND ITSELF

Little is known about the area of land where Heaton Moor Park now stands. An OS map detailing the proposed site of the park shows an area of open land, thought to be part of a large moor or heath. Heaton Moor at this time was surrounded by open fields and farmland – a far cry from the the built up suburb we know today.