Broadfield Park Slopes - Public Opening and Ignite Fire Festival!

If you have visited Rochdale Town Centre recently you may have noticed the Broadfield Park Slopes have changed a lot! We now have new pathways around the Slopes that make Packer Spout wheelchair accessible for the first time, winding up from the public realm to the fountain. Then the top a pathway will reconnect the Slopes to the wider Broadfield Park, allowing for leisurely walks down from the park to Town Hall Square. The Slopes are also looking a lot greener with the new lawns, wildflower turf and a variety of different plants being added. Once construction has finished and everything has settled in, there will be opportunities to get involved with biodiversity and green activities as part of the project, so keep a look out for new opportunities.

When you visit the Slopes for the first time, don't forget to make sure to explore all the parks new and historically restored features. Coming in late 2025, you will also soon be able to enjoy sitting on the newly co-designed benches and explore the sites archaeology through the historic model. These will be arriving later on, but please keep an eye out for when they are installed.

This year's Ignite Fire Festival will also celebrate the opening of the newly regenerated Broadfield Park Slopes. Would you like to get hands-on involvement with the celebrations? If so, please see the opportunities below: 

1) Be a part of the torch lit procession on Friday 21st November. This will be a group procession of around 100 people made up of local community members, who will carry flame lit torches in a procession down the Slopes to celebrate its opening and begin the festival. *This opportunity will be for the Friday evening of the festival only*

2) Fire Drawing Volunteers, 21st-23rd November. Each evening during the festival a new fire drawing will be revealed to the public, however these drawings need to be built each day! We are looking for around 5 people each day to volunteer to work alongside the festival team to build the drawings! *This opportunity will be happening during the daytime before each part of the festival - Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd. It will be a full day of volunteering with the team. Fire drawing involves working outdoors and bending to the ground and can be physically demanding... it's also very rewarding when you see the image blazing. 

If you'd like to be involved in any of the above opportunities or get involved with any other volunteering with the wider project (historic research, biodiversity/green volunteering, and more!), please email: Broadfieldparkslopes@investinrochdale.co.uk