27/09/2026
Liz Jeffress probably the first and foremost driving force of what we now know today as ‘The Glass Park’ would have been 87 today … we’ve been asked to remember Liz on her Birthday by her proud sister Monica, so I thought I’d do a little digging to find out more ❤️
A bit of what was said in the local press at the time ..
Liz Jeffress was one of the key local campaigners, behind the transformation of the former Pilkington Glass waste tip at Kirk Sandall into The Glass Park. She was heavily involved in the campaign to secure the site for the community, and her involvement continued into the park's development after the Glass Park Millennium Green.
The story starts in the mid-1990s, when the former Pilkington Glass site at Kirk Sandall was facing proposals for further landfill and/or substantial housing development. According to a detailed national study of urban parks, local opposition resulted in the formation of a community pressure group whose aim was to secure the site for local amenity and wildlife. That campaign succeeded.
The outcome was remarkable: Pilkington
Glass handed the land to the community on a 999-year lease for a nominal sum, and the company subsequently supported the development of the park. Initial funding came through the Countryside Agency's Millennium Green programme.
This is consistent with Doncaster Council's own planning record. On 12 March 1998, an application was submitted to change the use of the former Glass Works Tip on Doncaster Road, Kirk Sandall, to public open space. The application went before committee on 27 July 1998 and permission & issued on 7 October 1998.
And here’s a photo of the lady herself and the original Pilkington Glass Factory.
Thank you Monica Jeffress for getting in touch x
