Actress’s curtain raiser for £11m park

Jun 30 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

HISTORIC Birkenhead Park will be officially reopened by Wirral-born actress Patricia Routledge today after an £11m refurbishment.

The opening comes as the borough also sees the start of the two-day International Kite Festival at New Brighton, as well as Chester Zoo’s grand opening of the Realm of the Red Ape.

In Liverpool, an Arabic Arts Festival gets under way in Sefton Park tomorrow with an afternoon of live music, dance, workshops, stalls and food reflecting traditional and contemporary Arab culture.

The only one of its kind in the UK, the festival has more than 20 events taking place across the city this summer, culminating in a spectacular performance at Philharmonic hall by leading international artist Marcel Khalife, in concert with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Today and Sunday will see kite-fliers from across the globe gathering for the International Kite Festival which takes place on the Dips, in New Brighton.

Meanwhile, at Birkenhead Park, the It’s Your Park event will see a host of live bands taking to the stage from 1pm today and tomorrow.