Volunteers have expressed their disappointment after their restoration celebration and fundraising party has been called off due to a lack of ticket sales.
Rivington Heritage Trust's party, due to take place at Rivington Hall Barn on Friday 4 October, was planned to celebrate the restoration work done on the Terraced Gardens and fundraise for its upkeep.
Vanessa Ashworth, chair of the Friends of Rivington Terraced Gardens, said: “It’s really knocked me.
“There was hardly any interest, it was shocking.
“I was really surprised, we had thought surely that’s going to be really popular, and we’ll sell out really easily.
“We wanted to sell 300 tickets; we barely sold 30 - it was awful.”
The historic gardens have undergone a £4.2million restoration project, securing funding from the Heritage Lottery in 2017.
The party was aiming to raise money for the upkeep of the gardens through a raffle, and there was due to be a hot buffet and live music from The Deadbeats at the event.
RHT hoped to also celebrate the restoration and all that they have achieved.
Vanessa added: “We’ve achieved such an incredible amount. Now you can imagine the formal garden that it once was.
“We’ve saved all these structures that were at threat. We’ve got 11 Grade II listed structures that were at threat of being pulled down. It’s a massive success story.
“It’s a really important part of our heritage. There’s nowhere else like it on Earth, it is unique, and we’ve got to celebrate that and show it off to everybody.”
Maintaining the gardens, enriching its biodiversity, and engaging the community are now the charity’s priority - so that people can continue to enjoy the significant landscape.
The gardens are free to the public and rely on help from volunteers and engagement groups for its upkeep, as well as for its organisation.
The group is calling for a push for volunteers and community engagement so people can learn more about its history and keep the gardens alive.
Vanessa said: “We desperately need new people to get involved to join the RHT and the Friend’s Group to become a board member. We need people who will be really actively involved in the strategy and ideas side of things.”
The group’s main volunteer day is on the first Saturday of every month. There are also two volunteer days every week, sent out in advance on their mailing list, as well as corporate volunteer days.
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