Our Story

Friends of Princes Park (FOPP) is a project funded by the Liverpool City Region Community Environment fund based in the heart of Liverpool 8; a diverse by deprived inner-city area.

FOPP is a group of park user and local people who work in partnership with the council to maintain and improve the park for the benefit of people and wildlife. Over the last 15 years we have planted more than 4,000 trees, and we have increasingly focused on improving biodiversity in the park and encouraging people to better understand it.

We have also made efforts to pass on information about the work we’ve done as easily as possible to stakeholders, especially to young people and school children. We want to encourage young people to better understand the trees and appreciate their value.

Over the last 6 months, FOPP volunteers, nearly all of whom are local residents, have installed oak marker posts by each of the 150 specimen trees, providing accessible information about each tree. We have also produced a tree map which is now displayed on our newly refurbished notice board with more announcements coming soon.

The Challenge

The key thing we considered with this project was to produce easy to access and easy to understand information boards that were engaging and informative. However many external factors came into play which presented obstacles in the project’s development.

We have always been keen to let people know the identity of the trees we have planted. In the past we tried producing a black & white map with a key. However, it caused problems for people who struggled to read maps, which limited the scope of our reach.

We also tried attaching QR codes to individual specimen trees. The QR code for each tree was unique and linked specifically to information about that tree on our website. The codes were printed, laminated and stapled to the relevant tree however they weren’t robust to withstand the typical British weather and general wear and tear.

Following that, we found a much more durable solution, which led to our project to install engraved marker posts. We couldn’t easily engrave a QR code into a wooden post, so instead we gave each tree a three-digit reference number engraved onto each post, alongside the QR code.

We then attached a printed notice to each code explaining how to find out more information about that tree, by scanning the QR code (if you have a smart phone) or by noting the tree’s number and identifying it using the map and key displayed on each of the noticeboards in the park.

We realise that some people don’t find it easy to navigate their way round our website – so we are in the process of putting together a step-by-step guide on how to get from the QR code on the marker post to detailed information about that tree.

Our Solution

Princes Park is well used by many different communities and during the Covid pandemic has been used by local people to exercise, rest, picnic and enjoy the wildlife.

Our project has received positive feedback from local schools about our next move, which is to make a guide for schools as to how they can use the tree markers for educational purposes, for example by learning about different species or playing guessing games with the trees and then looking up the information.

The headteacher at Belvedere Academy, which is situated just next to the park, spoke of how the pupils have become more climate aware and encouraged them to take more ownership on the difference they can make to the world following the implementation of the tree markers.

Unity Youth Club in Toxteth, recently came on a walk to look at the trees and the various educational elements we’ve added to them. Julie Smith, a youth worker with the club, mentioned how the children increased their awareness of how important the trees are for the park.

In addition to producing the education pack for schools we will be increasing the information on our website about the wildlife associated with the trees and organising a series of walks to look at the trees and wildlife in the park.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.