Woodland pop-up park opens at Merseyway

A woodland themed pop-up park has opened at Merseyway in Stockport thanks to government funding to welcome shoppers back to high streets following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Officially opened by Stockport Council Leader, Cllr Elise Wilson, ‘Merseywood’ forms part of Stockport Council’s programme of activities to support recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the town centre and district centres across the borough. The scheme has been funded as part of the Government’s Welcome Back Fund, which is supported by the European Regional Development Fund.

The temporary woodland pop-up park has been created by award-winning City Dressing, in partnership with Easy Peel, a community design studio and woodwork specialists based at The Merseyway Workshop. Merseywood has been built using a range of sustainable materials including wood from local trees felled in Mersey Square back in 2020.

Located in Town Square, outside Primark, Merseywood is filled with trees, plants and picnic tables, alongside a bespoke wooden story-time chair and wooden musical instruments. It will open until April and entry is free.

The temporary park will also host lots of free family-friendly activities including craft and sustainability workshops with local partners, storytelling and more. Information on upcoming events will be available on Merseyway’s social channels.

Cllr Elise Wilson, Leader of Stockport Council said (pictured, centre):

“Sustainability and the environment are top of the council’s agenda, so I am really pleased that we have been able to put the trees from the local vicinity to good use. It’s looking fantastic and is well worth a visit when you next visit the town centre. This complements all the great work already underway, including improvements to Merseyway, with lots of exciting announcements to come in the coming months.”

Merseyway Centre Manager, Victoria Nichol said (pictured, far left):

“Merseywood is a fantastic addition to the centre, offering a free and interactive play area for families. Here at Merseyway we are very much committed to ways we can work and operate more sustainably and Merseywood offers a great platform for us to engage with the local community, putting environmental matters on the agenda in a fun yet informative way.”