Haigh Woodland Park is lucky enough to benefit from the input and support of a number of friends groups and volunteers.
Groups and their members donate their time to organise and deliver events and activities in the park, support projects to improve the Haigh environment and its amenities, and generate welcome funding.
The current 'Friends Roll of Honour' includes:
Friends of Haigh Woodland Park
The Friends of Haigh Woodland Park are a local community group of passionate volunteers who manage the popular Crazy Golf attraction, organise events in the park and maintain the bird feeding stations near the kitchen courtyard car park.
You will often see them working hard supporting other park events, whether it's car parking duties, stewarding or litter picking. Their ultimate aim is to work with Wigan Council to provide a park destination that is enjoyed by today’s visitors and protected for future generations. The Friends Group develop and deliver their own events and fund the Summer Picnic Brass series and the Courtyard Christmas entertainment.
Volunteer with us
To find out more about the Friends of Haigh Woodland Park and how you can get involved, you can:
Friends of Haigh Walled Kitchen Garden
The Friends of Haigh Walled Kitchen Garden (also known as the Haigh Conservation and Restoration Garden Group) are a local voluntary group that meet on a regular basis to maintain the Haigh Walker Garden and keep it open to the public.
Following a £50K grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2006, they were involved in a 3 year project to transform the garden. Few records from the 19th century existed so gardens of the era were used to form a plan.
They created a formal orchard area to maintain the heritage of the garden. Apple, pear, plum and more unusual varieties, such as medlar and quince, are now grown together with a variety of fruit trees from peach to cherry and fig.
Additional funding as part of the Fruits of Red Rose Forest project helped to develop a less formal fruit and nut walk. The garden now produces seasonal vegetables, fruits and plants. These are made available to visitors in return for a donation to help sustain the garden, enabling the purchase of new plants, trees and seeds for subsequent crops and the renewal of equipment.
Volunteer with us
The group are always open to new volunteers and no gardening knowledge or experience is needed to help out in the garden. You can help with a range of tasks including:
- Maintenance and upkeep of community spaces e.g. planting, sowing, edging, hedge trimming, pricking out, digging, weeding and constructing raised beds and fruit cages
- Marketing and social media
- Fundraising
- Admin
We're open Monday and Thursday, 10am to 3pm throughout the year. Volunteers may attend as often and for as long as possible. To find out more about the Walled Kitchen Garden and how you can get involved, you can: