Residents gathered at William Wroe Meadows, Flixton, to celebrate its legal protection and to start a new Friends group dedicated to its future care.
The beauty spot is also in line to become a major habitat bank, with Trafford Council hoping to channel funding for biodiversity improvements into the green space from developments in the borough and beyond.
The popular greenspace has seen orchard planting this spring, following community forester habitat and woodland management events with partners City of Trees.
It is also part of a long-term plan to restore and create new wetland and wet woodland habitats linked to a masterplan developed by consultants TEP and funded by Natural England under The Bollin to Mersey Nature Recovery Partnership, co-ordinated by City of Trees.
Now the former golf course has been granted Fields In Trust protection, a nationwide scheme to legally protect parks and green spaces, ensuring it will continue to benefit the community and natural environment for generations to come.
Flixton Green For All (FGFA) community group - whose members Barbara Harper, Paul Ashworth, Stephen Harper and Angela Hart, are pictured above - organised the get-together at Flixton House.
The gathering to mark the achievement included the unveiling of plaques which will be placed at agreed locations, with permanent new signage to be added later in the year.
Trafford councillors - including Deputy Mayor Cllr Karina Carter and Council Leader Cllr Tom Ross - and local MP Andrew Western attended to hear speeches and see displays on the site's history and future.
The event doubled up as an opportunity for local people to sign up as members of the newly-formed Friends of William Wroe Meadows group and volunteer for future practical conservation events on site.
Barbara Harper, Chair of Flixton Green For All, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to see William Wroe Meadows permanently secured as a public green space for our community. This has been a long and determined community campaign, and it is a proud moment to see that effort recognised in a lasting way.
“We now look forward to working with Trafford Council, partners and local residents to care for the meadow and help shape its future as a valued green space at the heart of our area.”
Cllr Stephen Adshead, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Highways, Environmental and Traded Services, said:
“The Council and the community are pleased that William Wroe Meadows has been granted this special status. We thank the Flixton Green For All for their passion and enthusiasm in making this happen and their tireless volunteering, planting trees and managing vegetation.
“This new protection aligns with the Council’s plans to use development money from across the borough to invest in the beautiful, natural environment, and wider ambitions with partners to restore lost ponds and other natural habitats. Together these initiatives will help wildlife to thrive as well as providing a much-loved green place to visit for generations to come.”
Helen Griffiths, Chief Executive of Fields in Trust, said:
“We’re delighted that William Wroe Meadows is now protected in perpetuity with Fields in Trust. Parks, playgrounds, playing fields and green spaces protected with us are legally protected forever, so William Wroe Meadows will now be enjoyed for generations. We’re grateful to the local community of Flixton and Trafford Council for choosing to protect this vital green space.”