600 people celebrate 25 years of transforming Bootle as millions set to be invested

Sefton Bubble
Jun 25
3 min read

More than 600 people came together on the Bootle canalside on Saturday to celebrate a remarkable milestone as local social enterprise Safe Regeneration marked its 25th anniversary with a major community festival.

The free, fully-ticketed Community Power Festival, held at The Lock & Quay, the Liverpool City Region’s only community-owned pub, brought together more than 25 local organisations for an afternoon celebrating everything the community has achieved over the past quarter of a century, while looking ahead to an exciting new chapter for Bootle.

The anniversary comes at a pivotal time for the area, with Bootle preparing to benefit from significant long-term investment that could help shape the community for years to come.

Over the next decade, £20 million of Pride in Place funding has been committed to Bootle South, with an independent neighbourhood board, chaired by Sefton Veterans CEO Dave Smith, being established to help ensure the investment delivers lasting benefits for local residents.

At the same time, Safe Regeneration has also been selected as one of just 17 organisations across England to work directly with the National Lottery Community Fund during the development of its new £100 million Community Power Fund, due to launch in 2027. As part of the pilot programme, the organisation is helping to shape the criteria that will determine how future funding is awarded to communities across the country.

The Community Power Festival itself reflected that spirit of collaboration, bringing together local charities, community groups and organisations to showcase their work while encouraging residents to help shape Bootle’s future by taking part in a Community Power Survey developed in partnership with the University of Liverpool.

Since it was founded 25 years ago, Safe Regeneration says it has helped more than 500 local people start new businesses while transforming a once underused stretch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal into a thriving community destination centred around The Lock & Quay.

Jane Dawe, Partnerships Director at Safe Regeneration, said: “Reaching 25 years is an incredible achievement for a charity in a challenged area, but our focus is entirely on what we can achieve next. There has never been a more exciting time for Bootle, and these new funding opportunities represent the best chances the area has ever had.”

“Historically, only about one per cent of the money earned in Bootle was actually spent here because people simply drove right through. We have worked hard alongside local residents to change that by creating a vibrant canalside quarter that keeps opportunity and everyday spending right here in the neighbourhood. The people of Bootle do not want handouts; they want to connect, have a distinct voice and actively lead their own future. We are here to act as a trusted partner to help make that happen.”

The impressive turnout of more than 600 people highlighted the strength of community spirit that continues to grow around the canalside quarter after 25 years of grassroots regeneration.

As Bootle enters what could become one of its most significant periods of investment in decades, organisations such as Safe Regeneration hope the combination of local involvement, long-term funding and community partnerships will help ensure the area’s future is shaped by the people who know it best.