Author: Amy Hitchmough

There’s more to Sefton than it’s wonderful natural coast and beaches so here are a few ideas for those wanting to visit one of Sefton’s beauty spots today.

Explore Sefton’s Parks

People may want to think about a visit to one of Sefton’s parks, where plenty of shaded areas can be found under trees, offering a sheltered space for people of all ages to spend time outdoors.

Botanic Gardens, located in Churchtown, are renowned for its community-maintained floral displays, aviary and fernery. It has a café, as well as an abundance of shaded spaces in its woodland area. For more information, head to: sefton.gov.uk/botanicgardens

South of the borough is Derby Park, an important cultural asset that was built in 1895! The park has been recognised by its designation as part of the Derby Park Conservation Area and its listing on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. To learn more, head to: sefton.gov.uk/derbypark

Natural Coast

People visiting the Sefton coast are asked to dispose of litter carefully in bins, or if they are full, to take litter home with them. It is important that items such as glass are disposed of correctly, as if left in strong sunshine can cause fires, like a magnifying glass.

Visitors are also reminded that BBQs and fires are not allowed anywhere along our 22-mile coastline.

We encourage visitors to also be mindful of the impact hot weather can have on our array of wildlife that live along our natural coast. One way to help our wildlife is to respect their space and ensure they are not disturbed.

Last week Sefton Council approved of a new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), this will help Council officers and our partner agencies manage behaviour along our environmentally protected coastline. We recommend all visitors familiarise themselves with what is and is not acceptable at our beaches by heading to www.sefton.gov.uk/pspo

Water Safety

RNLI lifeguards are present on a daily basis through summer in Sefton, at Formby, Ainsdale and Southport beaches. The RNLI already provides 365 days a year service at Crosby Coastal Park.

The RNLI and Her Majesty’s HM Coastguard have launched a water safety campaign, urging everyone to remember that if you get into trouble in the water, Float to Live.

To do this: lean back, using your arms and legs to stay afloat. Control your breathing, then call for help or swim to safety. In a coastal emergency, call 999 or 112 for the Coastguard.

For further advice and guidance, please visit https://rnli.org/safety/float

Plan your journey

Those thinking about visiting one of Sefton’s coastal gateways are reminded to travel safely, planning their journey ahead to avoid traffic delays and are reminded to park responsibly away from residential areas.

People opting for public transport can get the latest travel updates on the Mersey Travel website.

Beach parking is available at Ainsdale and Southport beaches. Unsurprisingly, capacity can be limited during peak times.

The facilities at Ainsdale beach include men’s, women’s, and disabled toilets. A daily cleaning regime is in place, ensuring the amenities are kept clean and replenished during busy periods through the summer.

Respect our wildlife

Thousands of migrating birds are stopping off now on Sefton coast after breeding in the far north.

If you see birds resting on the sands do not disturb them, whether you are a dog walker, horse rider, walker, jogger, photographer or even birdwatcher.

This is especially important at high tide as the birds’ feeding areas are covered by the incoming waves and they must rest and conserve energy.

Watch out for future Green Sefton events to learn more about these spectacular travellers – coming soon!

Sefton Council on Thursday 14 July 2022 approved a new Coastal and Visitor Areas Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), to help ensure the Borough’s coastline can be enjoyed by everyone.

PSPOs help the Council’s officers and its partner agencies manage Sefton’s coastline and visitor areas by making clear the kinds of behaviour expected and what is unacceptable.

Areas covered by the new Order include littering and pollution, fires and BBQs, dog fouling, parking, large unauthorised gatherings and anti-social behaviour. Failure to comply can result in a £75 Fixed Penalty Notice.

Scheduled to be in place for three years, the Order is based on existing bylaws and will support wider existing legislation. This includes laws in line with Sefton Coast’s protected status, which result from its unique combination of rare habitats and wildlife.

Feedback from local communities, visitors and partner agencies, gained through a public consultation, has been used to shape the Order, which will provide enforcement powers to protect the public from anti-social behaviour.

Cllr Lappin, Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services, said: “Firstly, we fully appreciate why so many people are so keen to visit our beautiful Borough and we really to enjoy their time here.

“All we ask is that that they do their bit to protect and respect this special place for generations to come.

“The vast majority of visitors and residents do just that and treat our wonderful coastline with respect and our residents with consideration, and the introduction of this Order, will have very little or no impact on them.

“However, it will help to make clear what is and what isn’t acceptable and will give our teams, along with those of our partners, greater powers to deal with that very small minority who behave inappropriately and cause distress and disturbance to local residents and businesses, or damage to our precious natural coast and infrastructure.”

Community policing Superintendent at Merseyside Police, Graeme Robson said: “As the summer holidays start, we know that many people will want to visit our fantastic beaches and beauty spots in Sefton and we know the overwhelming majority will do so responsibly.

“Introducing the Public Space Protection Order will help visitors and residents enjoy our coastline safely, throughout the summer and beyond, by making clear what behaviour is and isn’t acceptable.

“Our officers will be working with our partners at Sefton Council to make sure that people can have a good time at our beaches and beauty spots, free of anti-social and criminal behaviour.

“Rest assured acting in an anti-social manner should expect to be dealt with robustly and we will support our partners in their work. If you have any concerns, please speak to our officers out on patrol, or call 101 so that we can take action and keep our communities safe.”

Over the coming weeks, there will be a focus on raising awareness of the coastal and visitor areas PSPO and the rules that need to be followed. Signage will be installed across the Borough to make sure people are aware of their responsibilities while they enjoy their time in Sefton.

Sefton Council is encouraging all those who visit Sefton, as well as people who live, work in the Borough to familiarise themselves with the Order. They can do this by heading to www.sefton.gov.uk/pspo where they will find the full list of restrictions and the locations that fall within the order.

Some of the restrictions include:

• Pollution: Leaving litter, dog fouling, urinating/defecating in public, or noise pollution.
• Vehicle related antisocial behaviour; either within defined car parks or taking motor vehicles outside of defined parking areas.
• Lighting any fire or BBQ.
• Taking a dog into a dog exclusion zone, or allowing its behaviour to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to another person or wildlife.
• Taking part in or organising gatherings of over 40 people without written permission from the Council.
• Overnight stays in tents, motorhomes or caravans without written permission from the Council.

On Monday 27^th June, Sefton Council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee Panel were asked to consider a drafted Public Spaces Protective Order (PSPO) for coastal and visitor areas.

A Public Space Protection Order is an official measure that is an enforceable part of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Although the vast majority of visitors know how to behave, sadly there are some who can act in an inappropriate manner that cause distress and disturbance to local residents and businesses, as well as causing damage to infrastructure in the area.

PSPOs along Sefton’s coastline and visitor areas help the Council’s officers and its partner agencies manage visitor behaviour by making clear what is acceptable and unacceptable.

The order is based on the existing Sefton Byelaws and will support wider legislation already in place, including laws in line with the protected status of the Sefton Coast.

Feedback from local communities, visitors and partner agencies have been used to shape the drafted order, which is intended to provide enforcement powers to protect the public from anti-social behaviour.

A public consultation on the proposed PSPO ran for five weeks, up until 24^th June 2022.

Support was given on restrictions such as, confiscation of alcohol from those causing anti-social behaviour in certain locations, a total ban of fires and BBQs, and no unauthorised motorised vehicles in visitor areas.

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Cabinet Member Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services, said: “The use of Public Spaces Protection Orders are favoured by many local authorities as there is the opportunity to issue fixed penalty notices at the time of the offence being committed, allowing Officers more powers in managing visitor behaviour.

“We want all people coming to our beautiful borough to enjoy their visit but also to do their bit to protect our spaces for other people, for local residents and for generations to come.”

The proposed PSPO will now be taken to a full Council meeting on 14^th July 2022, with the aim for the order to be active from July 2022 to July 2025.

Saturday 25 June is World Sand Dune Day, a day celebrated annually by coastal communities and projects across the world.

Established in 2021 by Dynamic Dunescapes and Sands of LIFE, two projects working to restore coastal sand dune systems, the day offers an opportunity to highlight the importance of sand dunes.

Along Sefton’s natural coast we are fortunate to have one of the best ranges of dunes in the country and one of the most important dune stretches in Europe.

The Dynamic Dunescapes project has worked on a number of activities on our Nature Reserves, including control of the invasive Rosa rugosa and scrub removal at Queen’s Jubilee Nature Trail in Southport.

Most of the work to the sand dunes can only take place in the winter months to avoid disturbance to breeding species, so summer is a time to enjoy the spectacle of the dunes.

Guided Dune Walks

To mark the occasion, John Dempsey from the Council’s Green Sefton service will be running two free guided walks in the natural splendour of Ainsdale Local Nature Reserve on Friday 24 June and Saturday 25 June.

The first event will explore the dunes south of Shore Road at Ainsdale, while the Saturday trek will take place in the nature reserve north of Shore Road.

The walks are taking place as follows:

• Friday 24 June – Meeting at Ainsdale Discovery Centre (PR8 2QB), running from 1pm to 4pm
• Saturday 25 June – Meeting at Ainsdale Discovery Centre (PR8 2QB), running from 10am to 2pm

Booking is essential for the walks and unfortunately, both are now full.

Dynamic Dunescapes Ainsdale event

However, the Dynamic Dunescapes team will also be at Ainsdale National Nature Reserve to host their World Sand Dunes Day event on Saturday 25 June, from 10am to 3pm.

There will be lots of free activities running throughout the day, from Tai-Chi to Viking dress up. There is no need to book, people can pop along to Pinfold Meadow and join in the fun. To find out more, people can head to Dyanmic Dunescapes website.

Cllr Trish Hardy, Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said: “Sand dunes are among the most threatened habitat on the planet due to climate change, invasive species, and people pressure.

“It is fantastic to be celebrating and highlighting the importance of Sefton’s dynamic sand dunes. Our natural coast is a cherished asset among our local communities and visitors alike, and it is wonderful to see many free events available for people to learn more about our special landscapes.”

People can also get involved by sharing photographs of the dunes over on social media! Don’t forget to tag us @seftoncouncil / @greensefton_ and use the hashtag #WorldSandDuneDay

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), have launched a brand-new animation to encourage children to get learn more about water safety as part of their national Drowning Prevention Week campaign.

Over 400 people die each year in the UK and Ireland from accidental drowning.

In a recent survey, only 30% of parents surveyed said they are ‘very confident’ that their child knows how to stay safe in and around water, which leaves a lot of parents less confident that their child would know how to stay safe around water. As well as this the survey showed that of those surveyed only one in five children have had any formal water safety education at school in the last year, showing that there is a gap to be filled for children when it comes to understanding water safety.

Even for parents of children who can swim, there is still much to be done, as research conducted by RLSS UK shows that despite 88% of parents whose children have swimming lessons being confident their child knows how to stay safe in and around water, the statistics show there is still a concern for swimmers. In RLSS UK’s analysis of 76 accidental drownings of 8-18 year-olds in the UK, 61% were described as swimmers.

Lee Heard, Charity Director at RLSS UK said: “With June, July, and August proving to be the months with the most fatalities, it is vitally important that everyone has an understanding of water safety, especially during the summer months, and we believe it is never too early to start learning about water safety.

“We have seen a rise in the number of drownings over the last few years, with peaks during the summer. In July 2021, there were 49 accidental drowning fatalities in the space of just two weeks in the UK, and we know that with the right water safety knowledge, accidental drownings are avoidable.

With this in mind, for Drowning Prevention Week this year, RLSS UK have launched a brand new animation which is freely available to watch on YouTube to give parents the opportunity to engage their children in learning about water safety in a fun way.

For more information on the campaign and tips to keep yourself safe this summer, please visit the RLSS website