This outing gave all participants a leisurely start to their day, arriving at Speke Hall for midday. On arrival we were given a warm welcome by staff and the buggy was provided for those wishing to take advantage. Lunch was included and many members chose the scouse for which the Speke Hall café is famous.
With the sun shining all day, it was a pleasure to stroll round the gardens and inspect the many varieties of herbs and vegetables in the kitchen garden.
The Hall opened at 12.30 so there was plenty of time to explore and refresh our memories about this local property. The room guides have a wide knowledge of the hall and its occupants over the last 400 years and many members commented on their friendliness. We saw how the blinds we funded protect the furnishings from the sun’s rays.
We were also able to visit a special exhibition from The Hardmans’ Photographic Collection. The pre-loved bookshop is a ‘must’ to visit, professionally set out and welcoming. Leaving at 4pm and driven safely by Pat we all had a good day out.
If you are not a member but would like to attend any of our events, please fill in the Contact Form.
The SoFA AGM 2024 was held on Friday 26 April at our usual venue of Christ Church Southport.
It was well attended by members, the Chairperson Frank Hyland supplied those in attendance with what SoFA has achieved during the last 12 months, including how much our Association had donated to Formby Point, Rufford Old Hall and Speke Hall. Members of the committee were elected and several members of the committee received long service awards. Once the SoFA AGM 2024 was completed we were supplied with updates from three local National Trust staff.
The first update was given my Lorraine from Speke Hall, who informed us what a success the second hand book shop is by raising thousands of pounds since 2021. Many thousands of visitors attended Speke Hall and the Beatles home during the last 12 months. They have renovated the billiard room; it is now in similar colours as it was in the 1920s. They have used the funds we supplied to replace blinds that allows enough light in so visitors can see the items clearly but also protects the textiles from harmful light. Lorraine shared a message from Simon Osborne thanking SoFA for their donations and support, which allows them the opportunity to carry on renovations at Speke Hall.
We then had an update from Mel who supplied an update about Rufford Old Hall. The last 12 months has been a challenging year for them. The bay window project has now been completed and the final checks have been implemented. An unexpected cost arose due to having to have a new boiler installed, this keeps the house to a appropriate temperature for the contents and comfortable for the visitors who use their café. David, the head gardener, is working on re-installing the cottage garden. This will take time to do, but it will be well worth it in the end. The recent donation that SoFA supplied is to be used to purchase new picnic benches. We were updated by Mel who said a new supplier has now been located as the benches have to be suitable to wheelchair users and be movable. They will let us know when they have been received. Mel thanked the SoFA members for their donations and the support we give them, it is very much appreciated. They could not do what they do without our continued support.
Kate supplied us with updates about several sites that the National Trust has in our location. The boardwalk was damaged at Formby Point during the latest storms. These now need to be repaired and will need to be kept closed until they are safe for the public to use. They have been informed that there could well be a lot more damage that will not appear until the repairs begin. Kate went on the supply us with some information about Manor Hall Farm, Holcombe Moor in the west Pennines, as well as the Lunt Project. Kate let us all know that they cannot do what they do without the support of SoFA and really appreciate the close connection SoFA has with the local National Trust properties.
If you are interested in joining SoFA please contact us using our Contact Form.
Below is a message we have received from Emily Smith, Collections and House Manager at Speke Hall regarding the recent SoFA Donation to Speke Hall. The photographs were supplied by Speke Hall.
“On behalf of my team at Speke Hall, I wanted to say how extremely grateful we are to your committee and members. In January 2024, we used £2,648 of this funding to install mesh vision blinds in the bay window of the Oak Parlour. We are absolutely thrilled with the results! The remaining £352 will go towards installing similar blinds in the south window of this room.
“This project could not have been achieved without your generosity. It’s thanks to the support of our members and associations such as yourselves that we can continue to care for Speke Hall and its collections, for visitors today and the generations to come.”
Click HERE to visit the website for Speke Hall and to check opening hours.
If you would like more information about SoFA, or are interested in joining us, please contact us using our Contact Form.
This local Tudor property has an extremely interesting history. It was built almost 500 years ago replacing an existing medieval Manor House on the banks of the river Mersey. The Hall has seen centuries of turbulent history but was sympathetically restored in Victorian times as a cosy home. It is surrounded by gardens and semi-ancient woodland. Speke Hall is really a slice of the past in the urban surroundings of Liverpool. Temptingly close it is particularly difficult to visit using public transport.
We will arrive in time to have a hot lunch consisting of their seasonal one pot or a bowl of seasonal soup. This will be followed by a portion of cake or tray bake and a cup of tea or coffee.
Please remember to bring your NT membership card to gain free entry.
The coach will pick up at Churchtown, Southport, Birkdale, Ainsdale and Formby. Please see Spring magazine for details.
If you are interested in any of our events or in joining our Association, please complete the Contact Form.
SoFA held another successful Coffee Morning on Saturday 08 July at the United Reform church, Formby. There were 54 members present with 13 visitors, as well as six National Trust (NT) Staff.
Frank Hyland (chair) welcomed everyone to the SoFA Coffee Morning event, he was pleased so see so many there on a sunny Saturday morning. Many cups of tea and coffee were consumed as well as lots of biscuits.
We were given an update by Paul Semple who informed us that planning permission for the Victoria Road project had been refused. He advised us that the National Trust is considering an appeal against the decision, the result of which will take a while. Future updates will be available on NT Formby website.
The Lifeboat Road project is still ongoing and has a different project manager for this scheme.
NT Formby are continuing to work with young people across Sefton. These young people have been visiting NT Formby, participating in activities such as art in woods, yoga etc.
As Paul Semple is leaving the NT, Edwina (vice chair) presented Paul with a farewell gift from SoFA. Paul will be missed by us all at SoFA. However, there continues to be a super team who’ll continue to work with us at Formby.
Bree (NT Ranger) gave us an update on Wicks Lake as we’d recently given them a £5000 donation. The fence around the lake has now been replaced. We were informed that everyone is more than welcome to visit Wicks Lake to see for ourselves the work that has been completed and how our money has been spent. They require more funding to address footpaths and bridge.
She also let us know that they have found great crested newts in the lake, which is great news. Also, for the first time in three years some natterjack toads have appeared. This year there has been a large drop in number of sand lizards, but they are unsure as to why this has occurred, it could do with the very cool spring.
Chris Hunter (Ranger) informed us that they are managing the habitat for red squirrels and all other species that live at Formby Woods. They need to diversify the woodland, as it was very dense and over stocked when first planted. Thinning work needed to be done; they now have licences to carry out this work. He informed us that some thinning was carried out last winter. Thinning will open the canopy and woodland floor which increases the health of the trees, encourages more vegetation and smaller tree etc. may appear. This will create natural nutrients for the red squirrel. Currently there are about 100 animals but could reach 200. It is Lancashire wildlife trust who carry out the squirrel count.
The volunteers at Formby assist with the practical work such as fencing, paths and planting. They also have corporate groups who support them by collecting rubbish that has been left on the beach.
John Sebastianelli share results from a recent Volunteers Survey. The results being that Formby volunteers were happiest of all volunteers at National Trust sites.
Lorraine from Speke Hall thanked Frank for the invitation. They have planted 7000 trees and plants; this is to offset aircraft omissions. However, the trees will take between 60-70 years to grow to full height. They have discovered five new species of bees, one being the ‘hairy footed bee’. The rangers are very excited about the find. Rhododendrons are being cut back and removed and are being replaced with seasonal bulbs. This will give more colour all year round. They have made the playground and accessible one which takes wheelchairs in the roundabout.
Their bookshop is doing well, so far this year they have raised £1,000 via the bookshop. She thanked their volunteers for the work put into make the book shop a great success.
Frank informed those present that we still have a couple of events during August and September, with the Speaker Meetings restarting later in September at Christ Church, Southport. Information about these events will appear on our website and full details will be in the members’ Autumn Magazine.
Photos of Wicks Lake supplied by NT’s Bree with the Coffee Morning photos supplied by an Association member.
If you are interested in joining SoFA please contact us using our Contact Form.
A member of the SoFA Group has brought to our attention winter events at Speke Hall which you may be interested to attend.
There are carol singing choirs at Home Farm restaurant, on Saturday 10 December Oriel Singers and on Sunday 11 December Liverpool Community Choir. Both these events are on between 1.30pm and 3pm.
Whilst you enjoy some festive food, you can enjoy being entertained by these choirs, and even join in the singing if you feel like doing so.
There are many other winter events going on at Speke Hall so check their website here for more information about what is happening during December.
If you would like more information about SoFA, or are interested in joining us, please contact us using our Contact Form.
This local Tudor property has an extremely interesting history. It was built almost 500 years ago replacing an existing medieval Manor House on the banks of the river Mersey. The Hall has seen centuries of turbulent history but was sympathetically restored in Victorian times as a cosy home. It is surrounded by gardens and semi-ancient woodland. 
