21/03/2026
Today has been full of emotion, and we’d like to share our speech with you because it reflects our journey to today....
Wow… this truly is our biggest pinch‑me moment. Our dream came true.
When we sat together back in 2018, in one of our early committee meetings at the Wellington Pub on the Height, we spoke about this day. Back then, it felt like a pipe dream — a mammoth task that we weren’t entirely sure we would ever reach.
The last eight years have been a long journey. There were moments when it would have been easier to give up, to walk away, to say the mountain was too steep. But we didn’t. We persevered, and standing here today proves that every challenge, every setback, every late night and early morning was worth it.
We are proud to be a voice for our community. And we are ecstatic that the four main priorities that emerged from all our consultations are now housed within the Mansion. This building isn’t just bricks and mortar — it’s a testament to what a community can achieve when it refuses to give up.
Today is possible because of the support of the City Mayor Paul Dennett and Salford City Council, and we want to give special thanks to our main contact, Pete Openshaw. Whenever we went to Pete with an idea, no matter how ambitious, he never said no. He worked with us to help us achieve what we envisioned, including the restoration of the sensory garden.
In early 2019, when we told Pete we wanted to restore the garden, we were looking for a base — a place that showed we were making a difference, especially at a time when we couldn’t access the Mansion gardens due to safety concerns. Pete arranged for a plan to be created, showing the area of the garden we could access. That plan became the catalyst for everything that followed.
We raised some money for tools, and we hosted our first session to restore the sensory garden in late 2019. As we began restoring the sensory garden, we learned about Ellen Mallinson — how, in 1963, as Ceremonial Mayor, she created what was then called the Garden for the Blind, raising £2,000 to bring it to life. Inspired by Ellen’s legacy, we followed in her footsteps and crowdfunded £2,000 to restore the sensory garden, which was supported by Ellen’s family, some of whom joined us today. To honour the role her legacy has played in our journey, we asked that the community room be named after her.
Over the next four years, we hosted sessions in the garden and delivered a range of projects across the park and built something that brought people together. We also learned more about Thomas Potter through one of his descendants, Beatrice, whose great-grandfather, Richard, was born here in 1855. Beatrice also joins us today.
Through this work, we received our highest accolade via the Lord Lieutenant’s office. We were the only Salford group to be gifted a tree from the Tree of Trees, the centrepiece of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Only 350 trees were awarded nationwide to groups that made an outstanding contribution to their communities. We were honoured to be one of them.
That tree now stands proudly outside the Mansion, and the pot bearing the Queen’s cypher is displayed in the Ceremonial Mayor’s Parlour, a permanent reminder of what community spirit can achieve.
We also want to thank the City Mayor for signing the Memorandum of Understanding with us in 2021, demonstrating his commitment to restoring the Mansion. His continuous support since our inception and the allocation of funds to halt further deterioration of the Mansion made today possible.
To Paul, Les, Andy, Jo, Dom, David, Vicky, and the wider council team — thank you for meeting with us every month, and for helping us with any ask we had for them.
To Alistair and the Salford Ranger Team-Salfordcitycouncil — thank you for supporting all our park projects, especially the installation of the sculpture trail. Preparing the ground, adding the ironworks, and ensuring each sculpture was secure took immense effort, and we are grateful for your help.
To Bernie, Stuart, Simon, and the staff team at Venues In Salford - Buile Hill Park Hall & The Court House, Worsley— thank you for hosting so many of our events and providing a base for our meetings.
And finally, to past committee members, our families, friends, supporters and volunteers — everything we achieved, we achieved with you. Your support, your time, your encouragement, and your belief in us carried us through the hardest moments and made the best moments possible.
Today is not just a celebration of a restored historical building. It is a celebration of community, of perseverance, of legacy, and of hope.
A legacy that will serve Salfordians and our future generations for years to come.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey — and for being here to witness this dream become reality.
