morefromtrees Keeping you up-to-date on the latest news from Merseyside and North Cheshire on creating The Mersey Autumn 2011

2010/11 in figures

£5 of projects for Photo: McCoy Wynne every £1 invested The Mersey Forest continues to A welcome from Paul Nolan provide great value for money, especially in the current economic and Pat McCloskey climate. Local authorities gained £5 worth of green projects for every £1 This summer we celebrated the 20th they invested in The Mersey Forest in birthday of The Mersey Forest with a 10/11. woodland carnival (pictured above) at Risley Moss. The local authorities’ combined annual contribution of £163,395 led to the delivery of £834,611 of projects Over these two decades there have right here on our doorsteps thanks been many changes to organisations and structures, but those to the way The Mersey Forest Team we all face at present are possibly the most challenging. levers in extra funds.

In the midst of all this change some great work continues as you Investment will see in the stories below, and the demand from communities Return is greater than ever - highlighting the need to continue working together to create The Mersey Forest.

Paul Nolan Pat McCloskey 32 hectares of new woodland planting has been achieved in Director, Chair of The Mersey Forest 2010/2011. This is an area the size of The Mersey Forest Partnership 43 football pitches.

919 street have been planted to enhance Merseyside and Cheshire’s neighbourhoods. Follow us on Twitter 393 hectares of existing Join our 320 followers on Twitter, an excellent way woodland has been brought into to keep up to date with the latest Forest news. management to secure its long-term www.twitter.com/merseyforest future. Latest stories Page 2

Win a scrumptious lunch for two Win a scrumptious lunch for two days a week serving a delicious The competition will run from Tuesday at Merseyside’s Fir Farm Shop lunchtime menu created from 4th October 2011 to Friday 21st October 2011 inclusive, and is open to UK and Café. For your chance to win, fresh ingredients sourced from residents aged 18 or over. The winner all you need to do is “Like” The local producers or ethically will be picked at random from those who Mersey Forest’s new Facebook sourced whenever possible. “Like” The Mersey Forest Facebook page page. within the above dates. You can also walk off your lunch To be eligible to win, your Facebook How do I enter? at the farm itself, with their range privacy settings must be set to “Who can To enter, all you need to do is of woodland walks through a send you Facebook messages? Everyone” to click the blue “Like” button at landscape that has seen a “huge in order that we are able to contact the the top of www.facebook.com/ increase in bird and wildlife winner. The winner will be requested to contact The Mersey Forest Offices, upon merseyforest. populations” thanks to extensive which they will be sent a voucher for with The Mersey lunch at Fir Shop and Café up The prize Forest since 1998. to the value of £20.00. The voucher covers Once you’ve “Liked” the page, food from the café only and excludes you’ll get the latest nature news “Like” The Mersey Forest on drinks. The voucher must be used before the end of 2011, and cannot be from The Mersey Forest in your Facebook by Friday 14th October substituted for a cash alternative. Facebook newsfeed, and you’ll be for your chance to win. entered into our free draw. The winner will be announced at www. facebook.com/merseyforest. Promoted by Prize draw rules The Mersey Forest, Risley Moss, Ordnance The prize is lunch for two at Avenue, Birchwood, Warrington, WA3 St.Helens’ fantastic Fir Tree Farm To enter you will need a Facebook account. You can sign up for free at www. 6QX. Shop and Café, open seven facebook.com. Latest stories Page 3

“It was great to see the kids climbing trees and enjoying the magic of a campfire.”

Exploring The Mersey Forest

What is The Mersey Forest? Photo: McCoy Wynne

Sandfield Natural Play Centre in Whiston has beaten off the competition to be named the UK’s ‘Nursery of the Year’ following support from The Mersey Forest to turn its grounds into a haven for natural play.

The Mersey Forest secured £10,000 from Cory Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund to prepare Sandfield’s The Mersey Forest is a growing grounds for outdoor learning to re-connect children with nature. network of woodlands and green spaces spread across Cheshire Woodland transformed and Merseyside, which has been The funding enabled a 10-year management plan to be created for creating ‘woodlands on your the Centre’s woodland and a tree safety audit to be carried out, and doorstep’ since 1994. task days to be coordinated to clear litter and rhododendron with BTCV and staff from the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The woodland’s wildlife value was enhanced by planting extra The Forest is one of the leading species of trees, and a family cooking session was held to introduce environmental regeneration parents to the idea of ‘Forest School’ outdoor learning. initiatives in the North West. Through community and Adventurous streak partnership working, we have Now, Sandfield’s outdoor learning in the woodland are proving a planted more than 8 million trees huge hit. One parent said: “I tell my child he is going and a huge – equivalent to five new trees for smile breaks out across his face. This nursery is an ideal setting for his adventurous streak!” every person living within the Forest area. Purnima Tanuku OBE, Chief Executive of award organisers the National Day Nurseries Association, said: “During our visit it was We achieve all of this and more great to see children taking part in a range of outdoor activities such through our partnership of seven as making mud pies, climbing trees and enjoying the magic of a local authorities (Cheshire West camp fire.” and Chester, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St.Helens & The Mersey Forest is now looking into the feasibility of a woodland improvement grant for Sandfield through the Commission’s Warrington), landowners, the English Woodland Grant Scheme. The Natural Play Centre is also , Natural developing its natural play philosophy with outdoor expert, author England and businesses including and international trainer Jan White, and is a case study for Play United Utilities. England, with whom it is working on a project to improve play in primary schools. merseyforest.org.uk Latest stories Page 4

Photo: Paul Glendell / Natural England.

Photo competition: What do you value about nature?

The Mersey Forest was one of See the other winners to supporters@merseyforest. 19 winners this summer of The It’s well worth checking out org.uk. With the consent of the Guardian national newspaper’s the other fantastic shots in The photographer, the best ones competition to sum up the Guardian’s online gallery of the may be used on the revamped importance of nature through winning photos, which were Mersey Forest website due to be photographs. also displayed at the 2011 World launched towards the end of this Forum on Enterprise and the year, or as one of our popular The above photo was taken Environment at Oxford University. desktop backgrounds for our by our regular photographers supporters. McCoy Wynne in Little Crosby Got your own great nature in Merseyside, and chosen for photos? showing nature as a place for fun We’d love to see any of your and family, and how exploring own photos of Merseyside and green spaces improves our Cheshire’s natural environment, physical health and mental especially woodlands or local wellbeing. wildlife. You can send them Latest stories Page 5

Photo: McCoy Wynne

Battle of the bluebells

An English spring wouldn’t be community woodlands across the Maps were prepared to show the same without our much- local area. The process can take up the best locations at each site to loved bluebells (the Woodland to seven years, and the first bulbs plant the bulbs, away from any Trust even launched a bluebell are now ready to be planted. instances of hybrid bluebells - song and music video this year). created by cross-breeding with To re-establish greater numbers The Mersey Forest the non-native Spanish Bluebell. of native bluebells in the local assesses best sites area, The Mersey Forest Team has This May, The Mersey Forest Funding and partners been taking part in the Cheshire assessed the best local sites in The project has been led by Bluebell Recovery Project. which to plant the native bulbs, Cheshire Wildlife Trust and has and made contact with local received funding through WREN, Volunteers saving communities who will plant the the Linley Shaw Foundation, The woodland wildflowers bulbs this autumn with partners. Mersey Forest and Cheshire West The Cheshire Bluebell Recovery The chosen sites are: and Chester Council. Further Project was set up in direct partners in the Bluebell Recovery response to the decline of one - Blacon Nature Park, Chester Project include RECORD and of our most beautiful woodland - Caldy Nature Park, Chester Halton Borough Council. wildflowers, due to habitat loss - Dukes Drive Woodland, Chester and bulbs being dug up for sale. - Hunters , Kingsley To find out more about the Volunteers from the project - Murdishaw , Runcorn Cheshire Bluebell Recovery propagate native bluebell bulbs - Thorn Wood, Weaverham Project visit www.record-lrc.co.uk. from seed, to be planted in - Town Hall Park Woodland, Runcorn Latest stories Page 6

Photo: McCoy Wynne

“The Mersey Forest is looking fantastic after twenty years”

More than a thousand people Action-packed day Paul Nolan, Director of The Mersey celebrated two decades of The Activities throughout the day Forest, said: “A huge variety of Mersey Forest at a “carnival in the included storytelling woodland people are involved in creating The woods” this summer. walks, den building, puppet Mersey Forest, from schools who shows and willow weaving, have planted woodlands in their 8 million trees planted in 20yrs with the soundtrack to the grounds, to community volunteers The event at Risley Moss Local carnival provided by innovative helping look after their local Nature Reserve in Warrington musicians Urban Strawberry woods, to a wide range of partner was held to thank all those Lunch who perform using recycled organisations. The woodland who’ve been involved in planting instruments made from junk. carnival was about thanking them more than 8 million trees across all, as well as looking ahead to Merseyside and North Cheshire “Looking fantastic” the next 20 years of continuing to over the past twenty years. Pam Warhurst said: “The Mersey improve the local environment.” Forest is looking fantastic after The carnival was opened by Chair 20 years and it’s all down to the The carnival was part of of the Forestry Commission Pam contributions that thousands of Warrington Borough Council’s Warhurst, Warrington North MP people have made.” annual Green Safari event, run with Helen Jones, and Chair of Risley Risley Moss Action Group. Moss Action Group, Andy Pearson. Latest stories Page 7

Not so grim up north

This contrasts with heavy declines Another positive is that as the in the south, with a drop in many recently planted young numbers of 19% in the South East woodlands within The Mersey and 13% in the South West. Forest area grow and mature, they will continue to aid our much- The Mersey Forest plays its part loved wildlife for decades to Over the same time period as come. the study, The Mersey Forest Partnership has planted new Read more Woodland bird numbers in the woodlands the size of 4,000 You can read more on The Northwest have increased by 31% football pitches in Merseyside Telegraph and The Guardian since 1994 according to a new and Cheshire, so we hope to have websites. study by the Royal Society for the played a significant part in the Protection of Birds (RSPB). success story in the Northwest. Photo: Mike Roberts

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version, then right-click this large version and choose ‘Set as desktop background’.

Got your own great nature photos? We’d love to see any of your own photos of Merseyside and Cheshire’s natural environment, especially woodlands or wildlife. You can send them to [email protected].

With the consent of the photographer, the best ones may be used as future desktop backgrounds for people to enjoy, Our desktop backgrounds have blog for three new scenes to or on the revamped Mersey Forest proved hugely popular - so we choose from (taking the total now website due to be launched have continued to add to our available to twelve), ranging from towards the end of this year. selection of stunning nature this magnificent peacock butterfly and wildlife images taken in The (taken by Helen Lacy) to beautiful Photo: Helen Lacy Mersey Forest to use as your autumnal photos of the local area. backdrop on your computer, all completely free and provided Set your background in 3 clicks exclusively for our supporters. When you’re on the desktop backgrounds blog, click your Visit our desktop backgrounds favourite image to see the large Latest stories Page 8

Photo: McCoy Wynne

£250,000 for local tree planting

Merseyside and North Cheshire trees, woodlands and mini- improve our neighbourhoods is set to benefit from tens of orchards. for the benefit of all. It will be thousands of new trees thanks to fantastic to see the impact of more than a quarter of a million The Big Tree Plant brings the many tree planting projects pounds worth of funding offered together national tree-planting that this funding will support to The Mersey Forest. organisations and local groups across Merseyside and North working with Defra and the Cheshire.” The Big Tree Plant Forestry Commission. The The national Big Tree Plant campaign is supported by grant The Mersey Forest funding campaign has set aside £255,000 funding of £4 million over the was applied for through over the next four years to next four years to get more Community Northwest, support tree planting and people in local communities the charity that supports The get people involved in their planting and caring for trees. Mersey Forest, Pennine Edge environment across the local area. Forest and Red Rose Forest Starting this autumn, The Mersey Improving neighbourhoods - the latter of which has also Forest will use the funds to help Pam Warhurst, Chair of the been offered an additional community groups, schools and Forestry Commission, said: £184,000 for tree planting in local residents to brighten their “The Big Tree Plant is all about Greater Manchester. neighbourhoods with new street bringing people together to Photo: McCoy Wynne

Want to know more or get involved? Contact Paul Nolan, Director, The Mersey Forest 01925 816217 mail@merseyforest merseyforest.org.uk