A community story from Heywood about the people and wildlife that share a much-loved green space
Spend a little time in Queen’s Park, and you soon see that people come for all sorts of reasons. A mum pushes a pram along the paths or their child on a swing in the playground; a man does pull-ups on the outdoor gym’s training rig or cheers their kid on on the new BMX track. A dog walker plays with their dog on the field, while someone is practising the saxophone on the bandstand and a Zumba class is in full swing on the tennis court.
The park is full of life and definitely a place to be active! But it’s also the perfect place to slow down, take in the scenery, and make new connections. Photographers come to capture its abundant wildlife, others chat over a well-earned brew at the café after a long walk, or simply soak in the lake view, sitting quietly on a bench.
The park has a plethora of users, each with their own story and reason for visiting, as you will see in the video below: local resident and Spanish tutor Eva tells us why she thinks the park is a great place to come and spend time with her baby. Callum, a Heywood resident and actor, uses the park to learn his lines. John, the Run Director for the Junior Park Run, tells us more about the weekly event (every Sunday at 10 AM!) and its course, while Lisa, an author and public speaker, tells us more about her role as a volunteer.
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A park for every generation
One of the things I love about Queen’s Park is how many generations find a place in it. Babies are pushed along in prams, toddlers have the time of their lives on the playground’s swings and slides, teenagers ride the BMX track, young adults exercise at the outdoor gym or on the tennis court, while older visitors take a stroll, sit by the lake or catch up with friends and family over a cup of tea at the café. These are not separate versions of the park. They overlap as each generation makes new memories there.
Memories and connection
I asked Jo, a wellbeing coach who lived in Heywood for most of her life, to tell me about that sense of continuity. She remembers coming to Queen’s Park as a child, then bringing her own children as they were growing up.
In 2022, Jo started a walking group after realising that some people really wanted to get out and walk in nature, but did not want to go alone, and were looking for a chance to meet others. Her love of nature and training for the Pennine Way gave her another reason to get out walking.
When Jo moved to Scotland in 2024, Simon, who had helped organise walks and knew Heywood like the back of his hand, took over. The group continues to offer a simple invitation: join us for a walk on any Sunday morning at 10 AM, and you’ll leave having met friendly new faces (and put the world to rights!)
(Can you see how, in just a few paragraphs, we have sorted out your Sunday morning routine for you?)
As a member of the walking group myself, I asked my friend and fellow walker Ann why she joined. Ann tells me she first joined the group because she lives alone and wanted to walk and meet people. When I asked how the park makes her feel, she answered with one word: “free”. Her memories reach back to a different time in the park. She recalls a sandpit, birds in cages and a paddling pool. “There was a sandpit and birds in cages to look at”. I’m sure they also had other animals as well”.
Jo also reminisces about her memories of Queen’s Park and how it has changed over the years.
A place for wildlife too
And the park isn’t just integral to people’s lives. I have seen birds of prey, grey herons, cormorants, woodpeckers, jackdaws and tawny owls, along with coots, ducks, swans, kingfishers and dippers around the water. Sand martins nest in the riverbanks. Among the smaller birds I have spotted dunnocks, grey wagtails, treecreepers, nuthatches, wrens, thrushes, robins and, my personal favourite, long-tailed tits. With so many species in that long, though not exhaustive, list, the park must be a prolific ecosystem to support all this life.
The park does not go quiet when the light fades. I have seen deer and foxes after dark, and, as a volunteer bat carer with South Lancashire Bat Group, I am always excited to see pipistrelles and Daubenton’s bats skimming the water after dusk. The paths, trees, and river edges people use for walks and play are also part of the habitat wildlife depends on.
Queen’s Park holds events, playground visits, exercise, music, memories, new friendships and wildlife within the same green space. Someone might first come here as a child, return with children of their own, and later find a walking group or a favourite bench. That full circle is part of what makes the park matter to Heywood and the wider Rochdale area. Ask the people who come here, and each answer adds another piece to its story: what does Queen’s Park mean to you?
Special thanks to the people who agreed to speak with us and share what the park means to them: Eva S., a Heywood resident and Spanish tutor; Jo B., a wellbeing coach; Lisa H., an author and public speaker; Callum A., a local resident and actor, and John, Run Director for the Heywood Queen’s Park Junior Park Run.
