Alyn Waters Country Park Management Plan 2017-2020

Parks, Countryside and Rights of Way Department Environment Department

Contents

Summary page 3

1. Introduction page 4

2. Strategic Context page 4

3. Site Map page 6

4. Site Description page 8

5. Current use and Management page 16

6. Analysis and Evaluation page 25

7. Management Aims page 27

8. Monitoring page 28

9. Action Plans Development page 29 Conservation Management page 31 Environmental Education and Events page 35 Community Involvement page 36 Interpretive page 38 Promotion and Marketing page 40 Maintenance page 42

10. Appendices

A.1 Visitor figures page 48 A.2 Annnual achievements page 50 A.3 Balsam pulling records page 52 A.4 Byelaws page 53 A.5 Environmental Education programmes. page 55 A.6 Corporate Safeguarding Policy page 56 A.7 Celebrations and Memorials in the Country Parks Page 57 A.8 Contact details. Page 58

2

Summary

Alyn Waters Country Park is the largest park managed by Wrexham County Borough Council. It is located within 4 miles of Wrexham town centre. Much of the site was formerly sand and gravel quarry and later used for domestic landfill. The area was designated as a country park in 1989.

This Management Plan identifies and describes the features of and resources within Alyn Waters Country Park. It goes on to analyse the Parks development, its conservation status, its role as an educational and community resource and its value as a visitor attraction.

The Park is now a popular and well-used facility. Much of it has been developed, but some decisions need to be made on how the remaining areas of the Park should develop and how the existing areas should be managed and maintained. During this period of financial uncertainty the parks management needs to adapt and be able to maximise opportunities whilst maintaining the excellent facility, for thelocal community and for local and regional visitors. This management plan seeks to address these issues.

Individual action plans with in the Management Plan outline a series of projects and activities to be carried out over the next five years, subject to the appropriate funding. Much of the capital for this work must come from a variety of different sources such as the lottery, the landfill tax credit scheme and other external initiatives.

Continued support by the community and its involvement in the care of the Park is essential if Alyn Waters Country Park is to continue to prosper.

It is intended to continue to monitor and evaluate the development of the Park, through visitor and local community consultation. The projects listed in the Action Plan may be revisited or amended as new sources of funding or new priorities emerge.

Vision Statement Alyn Waters Country Park is and will continue to be a clean, well maintained park, with a good network of cycle ways, paths, parking and play facilities, a visitor centre and café, conference and training facilities, excellent opportunities and facilities to carry out environmental educational study. The woodlands and grassland will be managed for conservation and landscape value providing good quality wildlife habitats.

The Park will continue to be well used by the community, schools and tourists from outside the area. Volunteers and the local community will play an active part in the care and management of the park. The Park will help people to become fitter and healthier through regular physical exercise

3

1. Introduction

Alyn Waters Country Park is situated between the villages of Gwersyllt and Llay, four miles north of Wrexham. The Park covers 152 hectares of woodland and grassland along the river Alyn. It is managed by the Parks, Countryside and Rights of Way section of the Environment Department of Wrexham County Borough Council.

A park development strategy was completed in 1991 and this has broadly guided the development of the Park over the years. Successful developments have included the establishment of two community woodlands, a local nature reserve, visitor centre with café and education room, golf driving range, play area and trim trail, sculpture trail and cycle ways.

2. Strategic Context This management plan fits within and is informed by a number of local and national initiatives and acts.

Wrexham’s community vision is set out in The Wrexham Community Strategy 2009 – 2020 (Wrexham CBC).

This strategy sets the framework for the key statutory plans, such as the Health, Social Care and Well-Being Strategy, the Local Development Plan and the Children and Young People’s Plan that will guide how Wrexham develops, how health will be improved and protected and how children and young people will be cared for. Of particular relevance to this management plan are the priorities:-  Respect and promote built and natural environments, parks and green- spaces for everyone to access and enjoy; keeping them well-kept and attractive.  Enable and encourage people to be active citizens and get involved in their local community.  Encourage the provision of a wide range of cultural, sporting and physical activity, heritage and shopping opportunities throughout the County Borough.

Our Wrexham Plan 2013 – 2024 further states;- “We want Wrexham County Borough to be a great place, A safe place, A place where people live independently and are healthy and active. We want you to be able to enjoy quality leisure facilities, parks and other outdoor spaces. All work and no play? No thanks. When you get up in the morning, we want you to feel good about yourself and your surroundings. To feel confident. Optimistic about the future. We want Wrexham County Borough to have a strong economy that’s resilient to hard times. A place that gives everyone a fair chance to reach their potential. We want to look after the land and make sure it’s used in the right way. A place where

4 you can have your say. And, more importantly, be heard. Where you shape public services. Where you feel like you can make a difference”.

The development of the Alyn Waters Country Park is set within the aims laid out in Wrexham’s Parks Strategy (first written in 2009). The Parks Strategy set out the broad aims of caring for the landscape and heritage, protecting wildlife, consulting and involving the local community, improving visitor facilities and raising standards, widening the use of the parks, raising environmental awareness and working with volunteers and encouraging people to become more active.

Within the Parks, Countryside and Rights of Way Service, the aim is to manage, protect and conserve the countryside and rights of way network of Wrexham County Borough and to promote and develop understanding of the Borough’s natural environment. Providing a range of quality countryside facilities and supporting services, which are accessible to the residents and visitors to the Borough, will support this.

In the national context, the plan sits well within the aims of the Wellbeing of Future Generations act (Wales) 2015. The Wrexham We Want 2016 – is a current initiative from WCBC to consult and work with people and communities to develop a plan to deliver the legally binding Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act. The findings of this will be incoproated into future management plans.

The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 – This act provides the legislation required to plan and manage Wales’ natural resources in a sustainable joined up way, which informs this plan.

This plan is also set within The Welsh Assembly Government’s long term vision for Wales,“Climbing Higher”, the Welsh Assembly Strategy for Sport and Physical Activity. Climbing Higher is a key document with stretching targets for the health of people living in Wales. The Strategy focuses on improving the health of the nation through improving physical access to green space and sporting facilities and encouraging children and adults to take more exercise. Encouraging people to visit the countryside can help to get them fitter and more active.

The Management Plan supports The Environment Strategy for Wales, 2006. This sets out important principles and outcomes expected from us all, in particular – “Individuals understand and are enabled to take responsibility for their environmental impact; changes are apparent in behaviour”. Indicators for this outcome include percentage of people taking actions to improve the environment and trends in the number of people taking part in environmental volunteering. Another important principle within the strategy is “There will be sustainable, widespread and equitable access to the countryside and coast, which recognises the need for a balance between tranquil areas and areas supporting larger numbers of people and a range of activities. Damaging access will be discouraged”.

5

3. Site Map The site map is divided into compartments. The following table describes the compartments .

6

Compartments Description

Gwersyllt side 1 Scrubland Includes car park, visitor centre, picnic area and trim trail G2 Wet woodland with steep slope down to river Mixed mature broadleaved, Bradley Fishing club lease the fishing rights along the river G3 Wet Woodland along the River Alyn Mature alder/ willow. Includes 2 areas of wet flushes G4 Community Woodland Originally planted between 1993 and 1995 under the Forestry Commission Woodland Grant Scheme. Underdeveloped mixed broad leaved. G5 Community Woodland Planted as above. Mixed broad leaved. G6 Community Woodland Planted as above. Mixed broad leaved with aspen. G7 Skylark meadow Former landfill site. Restored with wildflower mix. Flora developing. Breeding resident skylark population. G8 Woodland planting Former landfill. Pedal Power and WCBC containers located at eastern end of compartment. Llay side 1 Grassland Local Nature Reserve This grassland has high conservation value. It has breeding skylark and is floristically diverse supporting a healthy butterfly population1. The potential for conflict between nature conservation and recreational use is high as compartment is popular with walkers who often have dogs. L2 Scrubland Local Nature Reserve L3 Grassland Local Nature Reserve L4 Woodland Local Nature Reserve. Mixed broad leaved favouring willow birch cherry L5 Woodland Mixed broad leaved favouring willow, birch and cherry Local Nature Reserve L6 Grassland, Woodland, Amenity Turf Compartment includes the important events area used for wide range of recreational activities eg. football, Race for Life, community fun days L7 Grassland The grass is cut late summer when the skylarks have bred. A zig zag course is mown out in early summer and forms part of the route used by the annual “Race for life”. L8 Amenity Contains car park and play area. Golf course covers majority of compartment. Site leased from WCBC by Foregolf Ltd L9 Grassland Former landfill site Has been recapped and sown with a wild medow seed mix and new hawthorn hedges planted. Livestoke is no longer allowed due to

1 (butterfly survey, Bryan Formstone 1999) possible damage to a membrane just below the surface. L10 Woodland Runs along edge of Wats Dyke L11 Grassland Leased to HACK. Used for grazing and stabling. L12 Worms Wood Mixed broad leaves with sycamore, ash on upper slope. Then wet woodland poplar alder with patchy spruce and pine. Woodland was planted in the 1950’s then some thinning carried out in 1998. A permissive low key path runs through the site. River Alyn forms the western boundary where fishing rights are leased to the Rossett and Gresford Fly Fishers. L13 Grassland Improved grassland with no specific ecological interest. Currently let as short term grazing. The HACK (horse sanctuary) take a grass crop in July. Clwyd Soaring Club (model aircraft) rent a strip for flying model aircraft.

4.Site Description

4.1 Extent of land holding The Country Park covers 152 hectares of land. Of the land in WCBC ownership this comprises: o 72 ha on the Gwersyllt side o 66.5 ha on the Llay side o 4 ha is on a 25 year lease to the HACK horse sanctuary at Bradley from 1996 o 4.5 ha of grazing land leased on a short term grazing agreement (adjacent to the cemetery at Llay). o 12.6 ha at Worms Wood is on a long term free lease from McAlpines Plciii. The deeds contain specific clauses that the land be used for recreational use or for open space for the benefit of the local communities.

4.2 Access Road access to Alyn Waters Country Park is excellent. The Gwersyllt side is accessed off the main A451 Wrexham to Mold road and a car park is located adjacent to the visitor centre. The Gwersyllt side is also accessible from Parkwall road, where a car park is located adjacent to the Bradley Sports Centre. On the Llay side, the car park is located just off the B5425. The Country Park is easily accessible for walkers and cyclists and many of the footpaths are accessible for people with disabilities. There is a small lay-by at Worms Wood for cars, but pedestrian access is preferred

4.3 Footpaths. The park has a good network of surfaced footpaths and cycle ways. There is a right of way running along the northern boundary of the llay side (Llay 11)

8 Footpaths. Gwersyllt side above, Llay side below.

9 4.4 Facilities The Park has a good range of facilities. The children’s play area on the Llay side is one of the most popular in Wrexham. There is a skate park adjacent to the play area.The Trim Trail on the Gwersyllt side provides fitness activities for people of all ages and the play area includes a large sandpit and digger and musical steps. There is a 3.5 mile cycle trail which spans the two sides of the park. The Visitor Centre is modern and purpose built and houses an information point and shop, cafe, display area, toilets and educational centre/conference training facility with Wifi. There is a professionally designed orienteering course covering the entire Park, with maps available to the general public and organised groups. It is the only course easily available to the public in the local area. There are picnic areas on the Llay and Gwersyllt sides of the park.

4.5 Utilities There is one buried electricity cable on the Llay side which supplies the golf. There are overhead power lines along the North West corner of the Llay side. Overhead electricity cables cross the Gwersyllt side of the park to supply the visitor centre. A gas pipeline owned by Transco runs along the northern edge of the Park, adjacent to the British Legion, under the public footpath. The visitor centre is supplied by water and phone lines running underground adjacent to the north side of the road to the visitor centre. A water supply pipe runs across the Llay side of the Park, between the children’s play area and the golf driving range, towards Park road.

10

4.6 Designations Local Nature Reserve (LNR). A substantial proportion (30.88 ha) of the Llay side of the Park was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 1998, by Wrexham County Borough Council, under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act (1949). The area covers compartments L1,L2,L3,L4 and L5, a mixture of grasslands and woodlands. The area supports a population of skylarks, an abundance of orchids including bee orchids, early purple and pyramidal orchids. There are also twablade and broadleafed helliborine, and common Broomrape in the reserve area. The main objectives of the LNR management are to maintain and enhance the existing habitats and the wildlife they support through a regular grass cutting and woodland thining regime, supported by interpretation and education. The area is monitored by regular wildlife surveys by different organisations and collated by the park Information Assistant. See section 4.10 on ‘Flora’ . (Alyn Waters Local Nature Reserve Management Plan, 1999, WCBC Y drive/shared/ENalyn waters/Site management.)

There are no further designations within the Park.

4.7 Geology The geology of the area is dominated by Upper Coal Measures, consisting of layers of sandstone, shale, coal and marls. Glacial Drift material overlying the Coal Measures consists of a thick cover of glacial sands and gravels, with beds of clay and till. Along the river Alyn, lacustrine deposits of well bedded clays and sands are found and the river bed is underlain by alluvium deposits (British Geological Survey, technical report WA/91/4).

4.6 Geomorphology The HACK land at Bradley and Worms Wood are relatively undisturbed, but the majority of the Park is a series of man made bowls with steep boundary banks which result from past sand and gravel quarrying. The landform falls steeply from an altitude of 80m down to the river Alyn. Along the banks of the river Alyn on the Gwersyllt side, a broad terrace has been created by quarrying activity.

4.9 Hydrology The river Alyn is the dominant water feature, with other surface water draining into it. Past quarrying activity disturbed the natural drainage system creating perched water tables with marshland that slowly drains into the river. There is a pond on the edge of the Llay landfill site and there are two ponds and a series of small scrapes (created by Castlemead Ltd. In 2006) on the Gwersyllt side near the visitor centre. Temporary pools created by periods of heavy rainfall on the former Gwersyllt landfill site appear to

11 be deepening as the landfill area subsides. Several of these pools are wet for most of the year.

4.10 Soils Little of the original soil horizons remain due to quarrying activity in the past. The majority of the site has developed on subsoil, man made areas and drift deposits. The development of woodland and grassland within the Country Park will assist in the development of soil formations over time.

4.11 Flora On the Llay side, within the Local Nature Reserve, 112 species have been so far been identified many of which have a localised distribution. In the summer of 2011 a large colony of dune helleborine (Epipactis dunensis) was identified within naturally regenerated woodland and a smaller one near the Visitor Centre. This is a nationally rare plant hitherto confined to Anglesey. Of note is common broomrape. Many of the species are typical colonisers of derelict land (often calcareous), such as yellowort, blue fleabane and kidney vetch, others are colonisers of bare ground like silver birch and willow. The abundance of nitrogen fixing species suggests soil deficiency in nitrogen. Bee orchids are distributed across the Llay and Gwersyllt side of the park and grass vetchling is also locally common. Pendulous sedge, marsh marigold and wild garlic are found in the wetter areas. Recording of the flora of the site continues through site visits from botanists and onsite staff. Compartments G7,L7,L7,L1 are cut back around October each year.

Dune Helliborine Common Spotted Orchid.

12 4.11.2 Fungi The Park is rich in fungi, a recorded survey was conducted in 1998, updates are being sought.

4.12 Fauna 4.12.1 Vertebrates The County Ecologist has compiled good bird records with the help of the Wrexham Birdwatchers, for the Llay side of the Park. The most notable species are skylark, linnet, bullfinch and song thrush, which are UK red list species of high conservation concern, (see the Alyn Waters Local Nature Reserve Management Plan 1999, for the full list of species (Y/Alyn waters/park management)). Kingfishers and dippers are found along the river with otters and mink. Other common mammals include fox and weasel. Grass snakes, common lizards and adders have also been seen on the Gwersyllt side of the park.

4.12.2 Invertebrates Bryan Formstone, a local wildlife expert, surveyed the Llay side of the Park during the spring and summer of 1999. He found 16 species of butterfly, including the dingy skipper, common blue, gatekeeper and meadow brown. He also recorded the unusual solitary bee, Andrena labiata, a Notable A species and the Lunar Hornet moth, a Notable B species. A survey of bee, wasp and ant fauna was carried out by Countryside Council for Wales in 1994 and found a nationally important diptera, the hoverfly, Cheilosia velutina, on the Llayside of the Park. Butterfly transect recording started in May 2009. Butterflies were extensively surveyed in 2015 by a Glyndwr university student placement. (Y:\Shared\ENAlynWaters\Staff\Ann\Wildlife AW)

4.13 Bio-diversity Alyn Waters Country Park is the largest area of continuous semi natural habitat within the County Borough in Council ownership. The Park’s extensive areas of grassland and woodland which link through the river Alyn corridor with other wildlife habitats are of major ecological value within the County Borough. The Local Nature Reserve represents an area of particularly high ecological value within the Country Park. The lack of interference in the natural regeneration since quarrying has created semi natural habitats of considerable wildlife value. The development of large areas of the site into scrub and young woodland will eventually reduce diversity as will the loss of bare areas of sand and gravel through succession. Management of the grassland areas by cutting arrests succession and maintains the habitat. The large rabbit population is also an important factor in maintaining diversity through the creation of a mosaic of short sward within the grassland. The management of the woodlands will improve the woodland habitat for the flora and fauna.

4.13.1 Biodiversity and Wildlife Recording. A wildlife data base has been set up with records from 1990’s to the present day this can be found on y/Shared/ENalynwaters/ann/wildlifeAW.

13

4.14 Landscape The landscape of the Park has changed considerably since the completion of quarrying and landfill operations in the 1980’s. This has been achieved through natural regeneration, landfill reclamation and woodland planting.

4.14.1 Gwersyllt side Woodland planting has reduced the impact of housing along the skyline at Bradley and the Community Woodland has integrated well with the existing woodland along the river valley to form an extensive woodland block, cut by footpaths and the cycle ways. The former Gwersyllt landfill site forms an unnatural plateau feature, but woodland planting to the south and north, combined with meadow management of the grassland has created a new attractive landscape.

4.14.2 Llay side The landform here is an open bowl. Entering the Park from Llay New Road the landscape is formal in character with play area, golf driving range under construction, football pitch and car parks. This gives way to extensive open grassland which is cut by the cycleway, sculpture trail and a series of footpaths. These lead into the woodland and scrub which extends to the western boundary of the Llay side of the Park. Natural regeneration in the centre of the bowl now disguises the quarried past. The housing on the northern boundary is largely screened by developing planting.

4.14.3 Worms Wood The woodland blends in with the wooded Alyn Valley and forms an important screen to the A483 bypass whilst reducing the noise from the heavy traffic.

4.15 Habitats The majority of the Park landscape results from natural regeneration of grassland and woodland following quarrying and landfill activities.

4.15.1 Woodland Large sections of the Gwersyllt side (compartments G4,5,and 6)were planted in 1993 and 1995, as Community Woodlands, with a mixture of species found locally (19 hectares). Other areas were planted with trees during the landfill operations (1974-1980) as screening. Much of the woodland results from natural regeneration and tree planting. The trees within the planted blocks are of uniform age. Within the Country Park there are few trees older than 50 years and the majority are from 20 to 50 years of age. Along the river Alyn a more typical woodland and wetland flora has developed under a mainly willow and alder canopy. Here the vegetation is the least disturbed within the Park and similar to Worms Wood it has a typical semi natural woodland flora, with stands of bluebell on the drier

14 upper slopes and large areas of wild garlic in the wetter areas. Pendulous sedge, marsh marigold, opposite leaved golden saxifrage and horsetail are found along the wet flushes. More recently this has become threatened by the invasive Himalayan Balsam.

4.15.2 Grassland In the Llayside basin created by the sand and gravel quarrying, the poor subsoils have allowed the development of a floristically rich meadow, with vetches, grasses, ox eye daisy, yellow rattle, common spotted and bee orchids. The golf driving range was created 1995 and the levels raised in 2001. During 2013-16 innert rubble was tipped on the area to further raise the landform. The heavily grazed grassland of the HACK horse sanctuary and the grazing land adjacent to Llay Cemetery is of little ecological interest. The landfill site at Gwersyllt was seeded on completion of tipping and a variety of grass species are found across the site, the relatively good quality topsoil used when the site was landscaped has helped to create a rich grassland crop for hay and silage, unfortunately ragwort and dog fouling have made this unsuitable for fodder collection. Bee orchid, grass vetchling, common spotted orchid,kidney vetch and ragwort occur on the Gwersyllt side of the Park.

4.15.3 Scrubland Sandwiched between the grassland and woodland of the Park are areas of developing scrubland of willow, silver birch and hawthorn, surrounded by rank grassland, typically tall oat grass, cocksfoot and areas of rose bay willow herb.

4.16 Cultural/ Historical. The line of Wat’s Dyke runs along the western boundary of the Local Nature Reserve. This was a feature delineating Welsh territory to the West and Mercia to the east in Anglo Saxon times (circa 750AD). There is neither designation nor evidence of earthworks, yet land form is indicated on Ordnance Survey maps. Gwersyllt Hall was built in the 17th century and demolished after much modification around 1910. Land around the Hall and across the river in Llay was acquired by McAlpines. The Company began extracting the gravel from the Gwersyllt side and later moved over to the Llay side. Domestic landfill operations took place on some of the former quarried areas on both the Gwersyllt and Llay sides of the Park, the latter site closing in the mid 1980’s. Wrexham Maelor Borough Council bought much of the land in 1988 (for £1) and designated it as a Country Park in 1989.

15

5. Current use and Management

5.1 Current Land Use Informal recreation and amenity are the dominant land use alongside and fitting comfortably with, conservation of habitat. The land use features reflect this with a cycleway, associated sculpture trail, and a network of footpaths for walkers which cross through low key, low maintenance woodland, grassland and scrub. On the Llay side of the Park some areas are more formally managed with a football pitch and open space used for local community events in the summer, a large children’s play area and a golf course. On the Gwersyllt side of the Park there is a Visitor Centre, with a small shop, café, toilets and exhibitions on the history and wildlife of the Park. Bradley Fishing Club pays a license fee to the Council for fishing rights along the River adjacent to the Park. A permissive bridleway has been developed for local horse riders. Pedal power, an all access cycling scheme offering some specially adapted cycles, runs on the Gwersyllt side, utilising some of the existing cycleways.(see 5.15.1 P20)

5.3 Byelaws Wrexham Maelor Borough Council agreed a set of byelaws for Alyn Waters Country Park under the provision of Section 41 of the Countryside Act (1968).( Appendix 4 ).In July 2009, after wide consultation (including Alyn Waters Friends Group) the Council adopted Dog Control Orders under

16 Sections 55 to 67 of The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (2005). Further consultation on a Dog control Public Space Protection Order was understaken in 2016. And is likely to be adopted and implemented in 2017.

5.4 Staff management structure The north team of the Parks, Countryside and Rights of Way section, of the Environment Department of Wrexham County Borough Council, manages the Park2.Two Park Rangers, a part time maintenance assistant and an Information Assistant are based at the Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre is open all year, seven days a week. Volunteers, Friends of Alyn Waters and placement students also help in the management of the Park. The management structure is set out below:

Chief Officer Environment and Planning | Service Manager | Parks, Countryside and Rights of Way Manager | Senior Parks and Countryside Officer | Park Ranger Park Ranger | Information Assistant

5.5 Visitor Centre The day-to-day running of the Visitor Centre is overseen by the information assistant who provides information and assistance to visitors and manages group and education room bookings. Their duties also include reception and liaison with café staff. The premises are cleaned daily by a contract cleaner and checked regularly. The property services department is responsible for all building repairs in liaison with site based staff. The café within the visitor centre is managed by social services under a service Level Agreement, and opens daily. The café’ also provides training and work opportunities for its clients.

5.6 Maintenance The parks maintenance is managed by the Park Rangers supported by external contractors. The Parks staff are responsible for all planned maintenance such as path improvements and reactionary maintenance such as a damaged fencing. Maintenance issues related to building are covered by

2 The north team also have responsibility for the management of Bellevue, Acton Park, Nant Mill, Minera, Moss Valley and the Clywedog Valley Trail

17 the Property Services team. For larger scale or specialist maintenance works external contractors are employed to carry out the work. All tree management work is carried out by external contractors and is planned in partnership with the Tree Officer from the department.

5.7 Patrolling Staff and volunteers patrol the Park regularly. This is the main opportunity to monitor what is happening in the Park and provide the presence on the ground as a point of contact for visitors. Litter is picked on a daily basis and waste/dog bins emptied twice weekly.

5.8 Dog Fouling A large number of dog walkers use the Park. Dog fouling is minimised through the provision of dog bins, education programmes, signage, action by environmental enforcement officers and the availability of dog waste bags. The Dog bins are emptied twice a week and are regularly checked.

5.9 Marketing & Promotion The Park is currently promoted through a Parks, Countryside and Rights of Way promotional brochure and annual events programme, which has a wide distribution across the region. Good web based information for visitors and educators has become increasingly important in the promotion of the Park. Recent improvements to the existing Wrexham County Borough Council website will help in marketing the Park. The parks events and projects are also promoted via local media. A considerable effort has been made to encourage and widen participation in the Park. The Parks are pr4omoted through the WCBC press office, using local press and social media. The Friends group also has a social media presence.

5.10 Consultation/Visitor Surveys The Parks and Countryside service has a history of carrying out surveys to obtain visitor information. Surveys by questionnaire have been carried out in 2003, 2004, 20083 2011 and the most recent in 2014. Full details of visitor surveys are available on request.(y/ann/parksurvey.)

5.10.1 Visit Determinants and Visitor Profile Data from surveys indicate that visitors will visit a number of parks across the year and will choose the park according to the type of activity available. Often the events programme relating to a particular day may be a deciding factor when visitors choose a park. By developing a network of parks, services and facilities for local communities the Council created a substantial and important regional attraction at Alyn Waters. The visit profile is made up of local regular users, such as dog walkers, cyclists, children playing or people just enjoying the countryside along with a much smaller number of non local visitors (10%4).

18 5.10.2 Visitor Statistics Basic numerical visitor data is gathered electronically. A counter in reception counts the number of visitors to the Visitor Centre. Similarly car visits to both main car parks are continuously counted. Current updated figures can be found in the appendix.

5.11 Interpretation A site specific booklet with map was introduced in 2012 providing a comprehensive guide to the park. A booklet designed to encourage use of the Park to burn off calories also provides a good map showing the layout of paths. A low-key booklet provides information on the history of the Park and is available on request.

The Visitor Centre has a series of panels that give a basic introduction to the Park, its wildlife and history. Notice boards inside and outside the centre provide up to date information on events. The Friends Group has its own board on the wall in the visitor centre and promotes the group and its activities. Site signs installed by the former Wrexham Maelor Borough Council are located around Alyn Waters Country Park and boards with diagrammatic mapping that helps to orientate visitors are located adjacent to the visitor centre and at the Llay side entrance. Newer panels reproduce the same aerial photograph based mapping as is used for the calorie burning booklet. A first person interpretive experience is delivered when rangers and other specialists take visitors on guided walks (eg. Orchid walk) and activities as part of the events programme.

5.12 Community Involvement The Park is well used by the local community. Local Community Council, WCBC Councillors and other local groups are all involved in the park and are consulted when necessary.

The Friends of Alyn Waters group welcomes new members and exists to help promote, develop and manage the Park in conjunction with the Park Rangers. The group provides a valuable monitoring role within the Park as well as a first line consultative body of park users. The Friends group fundraise through a range of activities and organise events

Volunteers interested in helping the service manage the Park are welcomed. A number of regular volunteers contribute significantly in terms of practical activities, maintenance and development work and in events and activities in the Park, working alongside staff. Other groups such as British Trust for Conservation Volunteers and Bradley platoon Army cadets carry out estate work in the Park, under the supervision of Park staff. The large amount of practical conservation work needed in the Park gives great scope for further involvement by local volunteers.

19

5.13 Events Programme The Park & Countryside section organise an annual events programme. Alyn Waters holds around 25 events per year ranging from school holiday children’s workshops to large charity events. The full events programme is very popular and helps to attract people to the park. The majority of the events are organised by site based staff but some are organised by external organisations in conjunction with Park staff. The Parks visitor centre is an excellent resource for holding events. The parks network of well maintained footpaths is also attractive to organisers of sponsored walking events with the park been used for the annual Wrexham Race for Life, Woofs and wellies and similar events. See appendix for annual event figures. See current leaflet for events or www.wrehxham.gov.uk/countryside/events

5.14 Working with Schools The Park is an outstanding educational resource for schools and colleges. It has good facilities and a wide variety of habitats particularly suitable for environmental study. The most popular topics are Habitats key stage 1 and 2, Rivers, and increasingly, orienteering. The Forest Schools Programme is offered as a premium service delivered by specifically trained Forest School leaders. The environmental education programme runs across all the sections sites and is popular. Schools mainly from mainly from Wrexham County Borough utilise the programme but also schools from Flintshire, Shropshire and Cheshire visit. See appendix for Schools visit figures.

20 5.15 Partnership Working

5.15.1 Alyn Waters Café The Café at Alyn Waters is run by WCBC adult social care work opportunities. The business supports adults with learning difficulties and provides a popular café facility for the park. The café is open 7 days a week, year round.

5.15.2 Pedal Power Project Pedal Power is a partnership project with Wrexham and Flintshire Groundwork Trust that started in August 2005. A Coordinator is based in Alyn Waters and works with a number of volunteers to train carers and clients with learning and physical disability to ride specialist bicycles to improve health and fitness and encourage personal development. A large proportion of these people come from Flintshire, Denbighshire and Shropshire as well as Wrexham. During 2013 over 5000 disabled people and their carers benefitted from the service. In 2015 Pedal Power/ Cycling for All, gained independent charitable status.

5.15.3 Erlas garden project. A long term agreement has been made with The Erlas project who work with adults with secial needs.They selectively thin areas of woodland then process the wood for sale.

5.15.4 Bradley Fishing Club The fishing club hold the angling rights along the River Alyn in side the park. The club helps to maintain areas around the river in partnership with staff and also act as a useful presence on site and source of information.

5.15.5 Rosset fishing club An agreement has been made with Rossett fishing club along the riverbank in worms wood. Again the club helps to maintain areas around the river in partnership with staff and also act as a useful presence on site and source of information.

5.15.6 Hack Horse sanctuary. Hack local equine rescue charity lease 4 hectares of land on a 25year lease. Work together, the friends support the charity and in turn the horses are anattraction .

5.15.7Clwyd Soaring association. 4.5 hectares of land on the Llay side of the park is let on licence to fly model aircraft. This activity along with Drone flying is not permitted in the park due to safety, privacy and disturbance.

5.15.8 Community Councils A close relationship is maintained with local Community Council and they have supported various projects in the park.

21 5.15.9 Lifelong Learning The Youth Service Department of Wrexham CBC work in partnership with us on various projects and also help to organise events on site.

5.15.10 Llay Junior Football Club The club utilises part of the park for training and matches.

5.15.11 Glyndwr University Links have been made with the local University . A voluntary Student Internship scheme was started in 2015. The university have worked closely on recent grant applications.

5.15.12 Catering concession An annual catering concession is offered on the Llay side of the park this is taken by a loca caterer, and proves popular with visitors and the youth football squad.

5.16. Celebrations and memorials. An increasing number of visitors have asked to donate a feature in celebration or memorial of a relative or friend. We are pleased to facilitate this as it has benefits toboth parties, but we are aware that if it left to develop without planning this could result on a mixture of different styles of park furnature, which may not be I keeping and may also be difficuly to maintain. To this end we have developed a celebrations and mamorials sheet which is offered on request. This can be found in the appendix, and includes benches trees and snowdrop bulbs!

5.17. Health and Safety 5.17.1 Safety Checks A recorded monthly check of the Park is undertaken by staff to monitor site safety. The trim trail on the Gwersyllt side and the play area on the Llayside are safety checked to ROSPA standards weekly by staff dedicated to playgrounds within the Section.

5.17.2 Health and Safety Policy A health and safety policy guides health and safety procedures onsite. Generic and specific risk assessments are carried out on relevant activities. All risk assessments are reviewed annually. Separate risk assessments have been produced for the Visitor Centre. Detailed procedures are in place to protect visitors and staff alike. The café is operated by the Work Opportunities section of the Social Services Department. They have their own risk assessments and safe systems of work that dovetail with those of the Environment Department.

5.17.3 Accidents and Incidents Accidents sustained by visitors and staff are recorded and analysed by the Senior Parks and Countryside Officer and Parks and the Countryside and Rights of Way Manager and copies sent to the Health and Safety Officer and

22 recorded electronically. The accident book is kept by the safety officer in Abbey Road Environment dept base. Incidents are similarly recorded and investigated. All rangers are trained in first aid and provide assistance when needed.

5.18 Complaints Complaints are dealt with following the Councils official complaints procedure. Wherever possible the member of staff who is first alerted to the problem attempts to solve it immediately. If not, the matter is referred up the line and dealt with at a higher level according to the procedure. All complaints are logged centrally in the Department. Visitors are encouraged to fill in comments slips, which are available in the visitor centre. Feedback on these is given if requested.

5.19 Sustainability 5.19.1 Sustainable Procurement Wrexham County Borough Council has adopted and implemented purchasing policies that embrace sustainable procurement. The Councils Procurement Strategy requires that goods and services purchased by the Council represent the best value for money by taking into account whole life costs and quality. Sustainable purchasing meets this requirement. By considering the costs throughout the entire life cycle of a product or service, the most economical, environmental and socially sustainable choices can be made. Traditional procurement focused on value for money. The aim of sustainable procurement is to integrate environmental and social considerations into the purchasing process with the goal of reducing adverse impacts upon health, social conditions and the environment, thereby achieving savings for the Council and the community at large (Guide to Sustainable Procurement, http://www.internal.wrexham.gov.uk/intranet/assets).

5.19.2 Use of pesticides The Park is managed as far as is practical with the minimum of pesticide use. This is restricted to the use of glyphosate spray, if weeds are a problem on a path or cycleway surface. Spraying is occasional if weeds are breaking the surface or edge of the path. In 2015 a 3 year programme to help reduce/remove invasives was started. As part of this some rangers were trained to use pesticide spray and stem injection, for particular use to control Japanese Knotweed.

23 5.19.3 Visitor centre, Eco building The design of Alyn Waters Visitor Centre extension aimed to maximise the use of recycled and sustainable materials. The building is timber framed in construction and recycled slates were used on the roof. The thick walls contain huge amounts of insulation in the form of newspaper pulp. Heating is provided through ground source heat pump technology and hand-washing water is heated with the assistance of a solar panel. The building is cooled in an energy efficient way using natural ventilation and “Wind Catcher” technology. Much of the flooring is made from Welsh oak. The toilets are water efficient and the urinals use a waterless system. Paper, plastic bottles and cans are recycled at the visitor centre.

5.20 Finances 5.20.1.Alyn Waters Country Park core funding is via a designated Wrexham CBC budget. Additional funding is sought via grants. Grants are sought for specific projects and equipment and vary in levels of funding. Currently Natural Resurces Wales supports the Service with grant aid to carry out work that meets their targets related to landscape, biodiversity, access and understanding the countryside. Tidy Wales have also supported park improvements through the Tidy Towns funding.

5.20.2 Other Income As well as Council funding and grant income, revenue is also derived from conference room bookings, schools & group visits, fishing rights on the river, grazing rights, and café rental. The shop generates income through the sale of souvenirs.

24 6. Anaysis and Evaluation

6.1 Strengths

o Alyn Waters is one of the top 20 visit destinations in North East Wales and visitor numbers steadily increase on both sides of the Park. o It is easily accessible to a large local population and to people further afield. o The landscape is inherently attractive especially the river corridor. o Access within the site is relatively easy and flat over much of the park area o The park has a strong Friends group. o There is an appropriate mix of modern and well maintained facilities and buildings available. o The Park is capable of holding large events and absorbing large numbers of people o There is a café on site. o The extensive wooded areas give people a sense of being in the countryside, despite being close to an urban area. o The Park has a positive reputation for schools visits and events. The established programmes are popular. o Current staff have good relationships with local schools and groups. o Use for fitness and walking groups. o Local voluntary involvement o Diverse wildlife and range of successional flora attracting interest across the region. o Pedal power offers cycling for all as an activity.

6.2 Weaknesses o The split nature of the Park means that people visiting the Llay side don’t have access to the facilities that are found at the visitor centre on the Gwersyllt side. o The parking areas are adequate for the normal flow of visitors, but are inadequate for the numbers generated by large scale events or during school holidays on the Gwersyllt side. o The large number of dog walkers using the site has lead to a considerable amount of dog related issues. This is distressing to other users and has health hazards, particularly for children. o The current café is limited by lack of space. Often during busy periods the café is full and people are unable to get refreshments. o The access to paedal power crosses the busy car park.

6.3 Opportunities o Alyn Waters is close to Wrexham town and has good transport links. These could be promoted further. o There is potential to develop information, refreshment and toilet facilities on the Llay side, if funding can be secured.

25 o The car park area adjacent to the Visitor Centre on the Gwersyllt side needs to be improved and expanded to give visitors a better first impression as they arrive. o Pedal power paths could be istalled to take the route away from the parking area. o The sculpture trail could continue to be improved and individual sculptures created in the Park as community arts projects, subject to external funding. o Income could be increased by charging for car parking. o The range of easy access facilities suitable for people with mixed ability could continue to develop since a large proportion of the visit profile is people with disability. o 6.4 Threats o Perceived threats to the Park are largely threefold: worsening finances, damage to biodiversity through disturbance and user conflict. o The biggest threat to development and maintenance of the Park is inadequate resources, both in respect of capital investment for new projects and revenue to support the current range of services and staff. Without these, the well managed and cared for Park, with its comprehensive and exciting events and educational programme is at risk. o The increasing popularity of the Park poses a potential threat to wildlife in the open grassland. Ground nesting birds such as skylark are easily disturbed by dogs during the breeding season. o The invasive Himalayan Balsam poses a threat to the woodland and riverside habitats. o Despite the size of the Park there are from time to time conflicting demands between user groups, such as dog walkers and fisherman, mountain bikers and horse riders who are permitted to ride in a safe manor on a designated trail. These can be difficult to reconcile and it is then that the professionalism of the ranger service comes to the fore, both in pre-empting problems by with good site management and in responding appropriately when conflict situations develop. o A large proportion of visitors are local to the Park and are the most loyal of visitors whereas those who make a choice to visit on a regional basis are more likely to be tempted away by competition from other attractions. Potential competitors for visitors from across the region include Loggerheads Country Park in Denbighshire; Wepre Park in Connah’s Quay and in respect of schools, Plas Power Environmental Education Centre, managed by Groundwork Wrexham and Flintshire. These attractions offer similar facilities, but are not as easily accessible or as large as Alyn Waters and don’t offer the opportunity for cycling. They all offer high quality facilities and well-trained, knowledgeable staff.

26

7. Management Aims The forgoing analysis and evaluation has led to a number of management aims that are set out below.

 Provide a well-maintained “flagship” Country Park for visitors and residents of Wrexham County Borough.

 Seek to maximise income to help support the cost of managing the Park and the development of new facilities, where this does not conflict with the above objectives

 Encourage local community involvement in the management of the Park

 Provide a high quality environmental education and events programme for schools, colleges and visitors to the park.

 Promote the Park to the local residents of Wrexham County Borough and to potential tourists from across the region and beyond.

 Interpret the history, wildlife and facilities of the Park to visitors and the local community, to give them a better understanding and appreciation of why the Park is managed and what visitors can see and do.

 Maintain and enhance the biodiversity of the Park and ensure the needs of visitors and wildlife are balanced, through appropriate management.

27 8. Monitoring

Alyn Waters Country Park has undergone a period of rapid change over the last ten years, as facilities have been improved and the popularity of the Park has grown. Wildlife habitats have been greatly enhanced through active management and planting schemes, enabling the wildlife within the Park to extend their ranges. Visitor numbers have risen as facilities have been provided. It is important to continue to record visitor numbers and activity through regular visitor surveys in order to monitor the changing visit profile. Only then can an appropriate management response be made. It is also important to monitor the effect of continued development of the Park and the consequent increased visitor pressure on biodiversity. All this information is necessary for informed decision making in the management and future development of the Park.

9. Action Plans

The management aims for the Park are pursued via 7 Action Plans. These are headed as follows:

Development Conservation management Environmental Education and Events Community Involvement Interpretation Promotion and Marketing Maintenance

The relevant management aims are reproduced below each plan heading and the specific actions and projects are listed in outline below .

28 Development Plan

Aims:  Continue to develop Alyn Waters Country Park to provide opportunities for quiet access to the countryside, for all types of visitors and sections of the local community.  Seek to maximise income to help support the cost of managing the Country Park and the development of new facilities, where this does not conflict with the above objectives. Actions Labour Source of Timescale Cost Target Priority Income  Monitor road for subsidence. (re Alyn Waters WCBC ongoing staff time ensure road H levelled in 2016) Main drive between staff revenue is safe G8 & G7  Car park area at Visitor centre – Gwersyllt Alyn Waters Smooth H  Update signage for PSPO staff / WCBC 2017 £1000 transition to  Monitor parking on new driveway Volunteers new PSPO parking areas.  Consider carpark extension. TBA  Investigate creation of cycleway link Contractors Landfill tax/ 2017/18 not safe route L between the two sides of the Park WCBC quantified created either along Jackie Barratts (lane) or revenue through a section of land leased to HACK. lane adj. L11  Support Pedal power to complete cycle path avoiding car park.  Install upright sleepers for new PSPO Staff/ revenue Spring 2017 £1300 signage and to consolidate contractor waymarkers.  Re model pond area in G1 Staff, Biodiversity 2017/8 contractors fund from volunteers Ecologist  Monitor ‘forgolf’area and consider 2017-20 appropriate management and development.  Area adj. to car park L8 provide toilet, Contractors WCBC 2017/8 Not New visitor H information point and refreshment facilities revenue, quantifi facility grants, ed Foregolf  investigate/review the introduction of car Alyn Waters Income from 2017/8 Income M park charges or donation scheme to staff charges raised generate income for park maintenance

 Refurbish the park gates, Gwersyllt drive. Contractor 2017

 Develop conference/visitor centre facility. Staff and To make M  Improve entrance to conference room. artist in Grant funding 2017/8 £500 more  Work with community artist to install work residence as available £10,000 appealing to look good and alleviate poor acoustics. to potential £4000 customers  Consider installing PA system  Re write/review management plan Sfaff WCBC 2017 Review  Incorporate management of L9 in revised progress plan. and direction.  Improve paths and access as funds allow. Aim to make less steep circular routes to river.  Streamline memorial benches etc. And settings. Advise from sheet in appendix  Fencing review across the park. Repair, Staff/ revenue 2017-20 TBC replace, remove? contractors

30 Conservation Management Plan

Aims:

 Maintain and enhance the wildlife habitats found within the Park and ensure that the needs of visitors and wildlife are balanced, through the appropriate management of the Park.  Maintain and enhance the existing landscape.

Action Labour Source of Timescale Cost Target Priority Income community woodlands – phase 1 and 2 volunteers BBW grant 2017- Improved H (Forestry Commission WGS 50000063 and staff Scheme 2020 woodland 500000336). G4,G5,G6 BTCV Sale of timber habitat 1. carry out woodland management of contractors the pole stage growth as the woodland canopy closes

wet woodland G3 volunteers BBW grant ongoing Improved L 2. continue management programme of staff Scheme woodland wet woodland to improve the wildlife Social Sale of timber habitat H for and landscape value of the woods. service log variable - safety 3. Manage for safety. business. /WCBC £500- work contractors revenue £1000 per year for safety work scrubland G1 Ongoing 4. monitor development of scrub/grassland mosaic 5. maintain the area of grassland around the visitor centre as an amenity and educational area WCBC WCBC ongoing N/A monitor L staff revenue changes young woodland planting G8 Alyn Waters WCBC ongoing staff time Woodland L 6. allow habitat to develop naturally staff revenue habitat 7. remove tree guards School develops 8. some trial coppicing children 9. monitor natural regeneration

meadow G7 Farmer / hay crop ongoing income maintain H 10. maintain as grassland by annual Contractor income generated meadow removal of a hay/silage crop in late where July/August to protect the skylark possible. habitat

adj. River G3,G2 Alyn Waters WCBC annually staff time maintain H 11. work in partnership with the Bradley staff revenue clean river Angling Club to keep the river banks (Angling free from debris club won environment al award 2009) adj. River G3,G2 Alyn Waters WCBC annually staff time limit L 12. Monitor the spread of Himalayan staff/ revenue spread balsam. volunteers/ where 13. Organise work parties to pull plants Friends possible

32 adj. River G3,G2 Alyn Waters WCBC ongoing variable - maintain L 14. fell dangerous bank side trees, after staff/ revenue £500- safe bank undercutting in spate, leaving stumps contractors £1000 per side H if to regenerate. year for woodland safety safety habitat work work 15. allow banks to be eroded naturally during storm activity unless funding opportunities arise.

Local Nature Reserve woodland L4, L5 Alyn Waters NRW 2017-2020 not Improved L 16. continue with thinning programme for staff/ Woodland quantified woodland woodland in LNR and maintenance of contractors Grant scheme habitat glades, to improve conservation and as available landscape value.

area of land to the north of car park, L6 contractors WCBC 2017-2020 not L 17. Assess conservation management of revenue quantified woodland, with view to undertaking further woodland thinning and glade creation

 Work with students from Glyndwr on Students/ 2017-2020 Monitoring monitoring of wildlife. staff/ information  Complete survey of LNR (L1-5) voluntary recorded.  Complete survey of L9 groups

33 grassland in front of LNR, L1 contractors WCBC annually £400 maintain H 18. maintain open aspect of grassland by revenue per year meadow cutting in late August

Remove young tree growth in L1 19. to favour grasslands and orchids. grassland former landfill site L9 Volunteers / N/A Completed N/A Works H 20. Following completed original landfill staff complete capping, remedial works, restoration and re landscaping ;- Survey and Survey review management regime. and review 2017/8

Review woodland management plans for 2017/8 site as part of Management plan re view.

Worms Wood L12 Alyn Waters Forestry ongoing staff time/ Improved L 21. continue woodland management to staff/ Commission £200 woodland improve the wildlife and landscape Volunteers/ BWW grant for track habitat value of the woods. contractors scheme maintenan 22. monitor to assess natural regeneration ce following thinning. 23. main track way to be maintained as an open glade area. footpath strimmed as necessary

34 Environmental Education and Events Plan

Aim:

 To provide a high quality environmental education and events programme for schools, colleges and visitors to the park.

Action Labour Source of Income Timescale Cost Target Priority

1. Encourage schools to make use of Alyn Income generator ongoing staff 800 pupils H the Park and its education facilities Waters staff time per year

2. Continue to deliver high quality Alyn Income generator ongoing staff 800 pupils environmental education. Waters staff time per year Habitats Key stage 1 and 2, River Dipping, River Geography Orienteering and Forest School 3. Promote Alyn Waters as an outdoor Alyn N/A ongoing staff 2 events M fitness and exercise venue through Waters staff time a year the events programme, working with partners where possible 4. Deliver events programme to raise Alyn charges made to Ongoing staff 8000 people H environmental awareness and use Waters staff cover some time/m attend of the park material costs. aterial events each s year. 5. Work with third parties helping to Alyn N/A N/A staff M facilitate events where these are Waters staff time compatible with management plan aims. 6. Develop student placements and AW staff 2017-2020 2 internships. and glydwr placements students. per year.

Community Involvement Plan

Aim:

 To encourage local community involvement in the management of the Country Park

Action Labour Source of Timescale Cost Target Priority Income 1. Maintain and support the “Friends of Alyn Alyn Waters WCBC ongoing staff Group H Waters Country Park” group in pursuit of staff Revenue time continues to their aims to generate projects to give function added value to the Park.

2. Continue to offer opportunities to people Alyn Waters WCBC ongoing 30 H who want to do voluntary work with the staff Revenue volunteers Parks and Countryside Service

3. Encourage greater involvement by young Alyn Waters WCBC Ongoing staff 1 session in H people in the Park, through working with staff Revenue time year the local youth leaders on practical projects within the Country Park and local community.

4. Maintain high numbers of visits by people Alyn Waters WCBC on going staff 50 people H with disabilities by promoting the use of staff Revenue time visit the Visitor Centre and Country Park via centre work opportunity café, the Pedal Power Project and other opportunities

Interpretive Plan

Aim:

 To interpret the history, wildlife and facilities of Alyn Waters Country Park to visitors and the local community to give them a better understanding and appreciation of why the Park is managed and what visitors can see and do. ion Labour Source of Timescale Cost Target Priority Income 1. Provide a range of informative leaflets on Alyn Waters WCBC Ongoing staff time 15,000 leaflets H what to see and do in the Park. staff revenue /  Consider charging for walks leaflets. grants 2017 Income to cover reprint

2. Provide and promote events like themed Alyn Waters WCBC on going staff time 2 events H led walks to interpret the wildlife of the staff revenue Park 3. Deliver events programme to raise environmental awareness and use of the 8,000 park ( as Ed Plan) attendees.

4. Work in partnership with other Alyn Waters WCBC on going staff time 50 people H organisations to provide interpretive staff revenue visit activities centre

5. Maintain onsite signs/ information panels Alyn Waters WCBC on going varies information H staff revenue panels/signs maintained 6. Review interpretive plan including on- Alyn Waters WCBC On going site signs/ information panels staff revenue 7. Work with Friends of Alyn Waters to Alyn Waters WCBC on going staff time new leaflets/ H improve onsite information especially staff revenue information about wildlife in the Park panels provided 8. Interpret weir and river erosion AW staff Grant 2017- £2500 Panel by river. 2020 9. Information /notice boards in toilets. AW 2017/18 £1500 staff/friends 10. Develop self led family trails. AW In house 2017/18 TBC Fun trails for staff/students use by visitors, birthday parties etc. 11. Develop ‘green’ birthday party ideas. AW staff In house 2017-20 TBC Educational, /students interpretive and income generating.

Promotion and Marketing Plan

Aim:

 Promote Alyn Waters Country Park to the local residents of Wrexham County Borough and encourage visitors from across the region to visit the park.

Action Labour Source of Time Cost Target Priority Income scale 1. Continue to promote the Park through Alyn Waters WCBC ongoing £2500 seek to reprint M literature advertising all the Wrexham staff Revenue leaflet when Parks facilities, distributed across the stocks used up. region.

40 2. Promote the Parks events and Alyn 2.Waters WCBC annually £2500 annual events H education programme through the staff revenue cost leaflet Wrexham Parks, Countryside and shared Rights of Way Service events between programme, distributed across the sites region.

3. 3. Continue to review and improve the staff WCBC ongoing staff Website M Wrexham Parks, Countryside and Rights revenue time balanced of Way Service webpages relevant and up www.wrexham.gov.uk/countryside and to date explore further use of social media.

4. Survey visitors to ascertain satisfaction Alyn Waters WCBC 2017/18 staff survey s M levels and collect demographic visit data staff revenue time completed

5. Write regular press releases to promote Alyn 6.Waters WCBC ongoing N/A one press release H the Park and its activities. staff revenue a month.

Establish ground rules for private fitness Staff7. 2017/8 Terms and groups. Insurance, RA’s use etc. conditions established 7. Promote responsible dog walking in the Alyn Waters WCBC annually staff reduce dog Park through publicity campaign staff/8. revenue time fouling, increase Friends binned waste group

41 On-going Maintenance Plan

Aim:

 Provide a well-maintained Country Park for visitors and the local residents of Wrexham County Borough. The Park will be a flagship for the County Borough.

Action Labou Source Timescale Cost Target Priority

r of

Income

 Site safety checks Recorded check made and results Rangers Monthly Carried out and acted upon recorded. monthly.

 Maintain Green flag Staff ongoing £320 per Retain Green flag standards and apply for year status green flag annually. grass / habitat maintenance

1. Grass maintenance WCBC WCBC annually TBC grass H contract, maintain Streetsc revenue cut to schedule path edges (50mm) ene with tractor mounted staff flail

2. maintain hedges with Streetsc WCBC annually £800 per hedges H tractor mounted flail ene revenue annum cut to schedule staff 3. maintain grass Streetsc WCBC annually TBC Grass H around visitor centre ene revenue cut to schedule (30-50mm) rotary staff cut. G1 4. conservation of farmer/ WCBC annually TBC 1 cut per year H meadow habitat- contract revenue/ annual cut G7 or Income control of noxious weeds

5. Ragwort pulled G7 Alyn WCBC annually staff time / control M Waters revenue July/Aug volunteers ragwort staff/ in meadow Staff/ NRW grant 6. Japanese knotweed contractor Sept. control sprayed G3 by river spread of staff and knotweed 7. Himalayan balsam volunteers June-august 2015-2018 pulled prior to seeding reduce spread. cycleway/ footpath, H (including boardwalks) network

8. Surface condition AW staff WCBC monthly not footpaths H checked revenue quantified. surfaces WCBC in good H 9. Maintain cycleway Streetscen need based condition and path network. e surface

43 maintenance/ repairs as necessary M Staff / weed 10. Herbicide contractors free (glyphosate), only surfaces used where weeds are growing through tarmac cycleway surface or edging.

11. Programme of renewal according to identified need

12. Maintain trails and waymarkers including orienteering pegs. tree safety

13. tree survey carried Arboricultu WCBC biennially Maintain trees H out ral Officer revenue checked along route monthly of footpath regularly 14. Footpath route safety AW staff checked, dangerous trees reported / safety taped off Selected variable need based contractor approx. 15. programme of £1000 per felling/coppicing year. according to need identified in safety

44 checks. other infrastructure M

16. site safety checks of Alyn WCBC Continuously, recorded staff time monthly checks H Park infrastructure Waters revenue check monthly recorded and dated including benches, staff fences 17. safety inspection of Play staff WCBC Monthly. staff time, Monthly checks H play areas WCBC revenue cost of recorded and dated ROSPA by Dept. Play Area Rospa annually report team annual covered by ROSPA safety Environment check and report. Dept. Play Area budget. 18. vandalised structures Alyn WCBC need based need based graffiti free H will be removed or Waters revenue structures repaired according to staff/ need. volunteers 19. graffiti will be removed as soon as practical operation of Visitor Centre 20. property defects centre staff WCBC weekly dependent Centre in good, H check WCBC revenue on work clean condition and Property need based safe for all users 21. repairs carried out Services. according to minimal complaints

45 maintenance centre staff weekly schedule favourable centre staff 6 monthly comments 22. fire alarm tested contractors monthly 23. fire drill Snowdonia ltd. 24. independent fire contractors monthly equipment check Hertel ltd.

25. monitoring of water WCBC daily £6500 per for Legionnaires’ risk cleaning year contract 26. building kept clean, contractors monthly floors, toilets, etc. as Cathedral per cleaning ltd. £800 per schedule year.

27. contract for servicing of sanitary bins waste 28. control litter and dog Alyn WCBC 3 times a week staff time. litter is H waste through Waters revenue controlled regular picking. staff WCBC Twice weekly staff time safe disposal H 29. dog waste is revenue maintained collected from bins Alyn Streetscene Waters 30. Paper, plastic bottles staff and cans collected Weekly from Visitor centre WCBC re-

46 for re-cycling cycling team risk assessments 31. health and safety Alyn WCBC continuously Staff time. H policy guidance Waters revenue safe operations adhered to staff when needed maintain up to date 32. risk assessments Alyn risk assessments carried out on all Waters relevant activities staff and recorded.

33. risk assessments Alyn annually reviewed Waters staff when needed 34. advice sought from Health & Safety officer

47 Appendix 1

A.1 Visitor Figures. Alyn Waters Country Park 2016/2017 Up to Years 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 2015/2016 01/11/2016 Visitor Counter 92,127 111,054 118,117 115,619 80,523 Volunteers Vol Hrs Vol Hrs Vol Hrs Vol Hrs Vol Hrs

67 1,221 96 913 73 676 44 523 Ranger Ranger Ranger Ranger Ranger Events led DIY led DIY Led DIY Led DIY led DIY

1,009 4,416 1,945 7,690 1,039 2,738 2,236 5,105 1,186 5,155 Ranger Ranger Ranger Ranger Schools led DIY led DIY Ranger led DIY led DIY led DIY

600 254 701 389 1,259 154 980 594 759 426

48 Appendix 2 A.2 Summary of Annual Achievements. Achievements 2016  Green flag awardedfor 2016/7! Overall band score – 80+ “The judges were very impressed with the work that is put in by all those involved in the management of the park. There was a noticeably positive and welcoming feel in the park and a strong sense of ownership from site users. The range of partners involved in the various aspects of the park’s management is exemplary and illustrates just how valuable a resource the park is in delivering a wide variety of benefits to site users and the wider community. It is a real credit to the WCBC team for working with these partners to ensure the park meets the needs of its users. With the introduction of the Wellbeing and Future Generations Bill, management models such as that adopted by Alyn Waters Country Park are only likely to become more valuable and important in ensuring long lasting social, economic and environmental benefits are delivered both now and in the future. Well done to all those involved in managing this park to such a high standard. Keep up the good work.”

 Held regional award ceremony for green flag at Alyn Waters.  Pedal power paths extended to try to reduce the incidence of cycles crossing the car park and reduce the risk factor from reversing cars and cycles crossing.  The park drive re levelled following 10 years of subsidence. Being built up over 14” in places!  Fencing removed and parking improved along the driveway.  Second year of Invasives management. Large areas of Himalayan Balsam have been cleared, some by hand some strimmed. Areas monitored to check re growth.  Wifi has been installed in the conference room making it a more attractive room for training and conference use.  Window blinds have been installed in the conference room making the use of projectors more visible and reducing the ‘echo’.  The friends of Alyn Wates have planted some trees donated by the woodland trust.  The friends and staff have worked alongside tidy wales and were successful in attaining stage 2 funding for the ‘Create your space’ Big lottery fund. Stage 2 is awaiting a decision.  The Friends group have continued to support the park over the year and run another successful craft fair and sold books and home produce to raise funds.  Alyn Waters has maintained green flag standards through the year.

49 Summary of achievements in 2015  A programme of tackling invasive Himalayan balsam was started. Around 1280 sq m of balsam was pulled by 75 volunteers. Hundreds of plants were removed before setting seed. This will continue for the next 2 years at least.  Feedback forms have been introduced to gain visitors views about the events, these have been very positive.  Feed back forms have been given out to school groups on ranger led programmes. These have also been very positve.  Tidy towns funding has been used to improve the Llay car park area, and in conjunction with The Friends group, a new community notice board has been ordered.  Tidy towns funding has also been used to improve the foot path and safety around the Bradley entrance.  Working with Volunteers, a new link path has been completed from the Café to the main foot path.  The Café Service level agreement and rent has been re negociated.  Parking along the driveway has been improved and the potential for congestion greatly reduced.  A partnership between ourselves and the youth crime prevention team has resulted in some new sign boards, picnic tables and many hours of work litterpicking and installing the signs.  A partnership between the Community council, local police, ourselves and youth groups in Llay has resulted in the installation of a skatepark on the Llay side of the park. This has since been decorated by the partnership and a graffiti artist.  The bookings from outside organisations for the conference room have increased.  The Friends group have supported the park over the year and run successful craft fairs and sold books and home produce to raise funds.  Alyn Waters has maintained green flag standards through the year.

Summary of Achievements in 2014  The Friends of Alyn Waters Country Park continued to enable local people to air their views on Park management issues and help fund raise for specific projects.  Car Park area. Improved parking on lane to ease traffic conjestion during peak times with Tidy Town Grant Funding.  1509 pupils attended ranger led educational environmental activity and 46 self led during 2014.(Jan-dec figure)  9635 people attended an event in the Park during 2014.  110,054 people used the Visitor Centre during 2014.  The park played host to several large scale charity events including Caner Research’s Race for Life, Nightingale House Woofs and Wellies Walk and the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk.  The park has been maintained to Green Flag Standards throughout 2014.

50  Alyn Waters successfully retained its Green Flag Status.  The Play area has proved to be extremely popular and has attracted more visitors to the park.

A.2.3 Summary of Achievements in 2013  The Friends of Alyn Waters Country Park continued to enable local people to air their views on Park management issues and help fund raise for specific projects.  New Play facility opened and well received. Awarded a Commendation from the Wrexham Area Civic Society for Landscape and Environmental Improvement.  Car Park area at Visitor Centre re landscaped and upgraded with Tidy Town Grant Funding. New rasied bedded area, signage and planting all installed.  1402 pupils attended an educational environmental activity during 2013. (Jan-dec)  9769 people attended an event in the Park during 2013.  105,659 people used the Visitor Centre during 2013.  Over 5000 disabled people and their carers used the Pedal Power cycles in the Park during 2013.  The park played host to several large scale charity events including Caner Research’s Race for Life and Nightingale House Woofs and Wellies Walk.  The park has been maintained to Green Flag Standards throughout 2013.  Works to recap the former landfill site on part of the park completed. With new landscaping and interpretation project involving local school.  Alyn Waters successfully retained its Green Flag Status.

51 Date Location Method Area By Whom Volunteer hrs May/June 2015 River Bank / Spraying 150 sq m Fishing Club Bluebell Wood (see map) 17/6/15 Area 1 Pulling 40 sq m Mind Volunteer Group x7 49 7 hours

25/6/15 Area 2 Pulling 80 sq m General Volunteers x 3 27 9 hours

30/6/15 Area 2 Pulling 20 sq m General Volunteers x3 10.5 3.5 hours

1/7/15 Area 3 Pulling 10 sq m General Volunteers x1 2 2 hours

7/7/15 Area 3 Pulling 700 sq m Balsam Event 10 people 230 23 hours

8/7/15 Area 4 Pulling 20sq m Actif Woodland volunteers x 14 98 7 hours

16/7/15 Area 4 Pulling 80sq m General Volunteers x1 Work Experience x2 Staff 7 hours 21/7/15 Area 4 Pulling 50sq m Balsam Event x4 people 5 hours

13/8/15 Area 3 Pulling 30sq m General Volunteers x 3 Staff Balsam Pulling and Spraying 8 hours 18/9/15 Area 4 Pulling 60 sq m 17 Volunteers Tesco Record 2015 19/9/15 Area 3 Pulling 30 sq m 5 Volunteers Tesco Appendix 3 Date Location Method Area By Whom 21/6/16 Area 1 Pulling 10 sq m RA / Volunteers

5/7/16 Area 1 Pulling 100 sq m Staff / Vols x 17 Balsam Event 6/7/16 Area 1 Pulling 20sq m Groundwork Group ```

12/7/16 Path Edges Strimming 50sq m RA

14/7/16 River Path by Pulling JW / Vols Jackie Barrats entrance. 18/7/16 Area 3 Strimming 1000 sq m ELM Staff

19/7/16 Area 3 Just off Pulling 50sq m Staff RA path to left of Vols x3 52 bridge Balsam Event Appendix 4 Byelaws

53

54 Appendix 5 Ranger led Environmental Education programmes.

Foundation phase and KS2 Educational programmes .

Wrexham Parks and Countryside Service.

. Habitats . Plants and growing . An introduction to Maps . River study (geography) . River/Pond dipping- Older Foundation phase and KS2 . Farm walk (Ty Mawr only) . Food and Farming Ks2 (Ty Mawr only) . Seasonal walks . Art in the environment . Fun with words . Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Activity walk and boat trip. (Ty Mawr only) . Forest schools (Alyn Waters+ Nant Mill) . Orienteering Activities are available at all the parks unless otherwise stated. Appendix 6. Corporate Safeguarding Policy The purpose of the Corporate Safeguarding Policy and guidelines are to highlight how Wrexham County Borough Council undertakes its legal commitments in the field of safeguarding children and adults, give assurance to members of the public, service users, councillors, employees and people working on behalf of the Council that there are clear arrangements in place to safeguard and protect children and adults; and to ensure that staff and councillors have clear guidelines for when a child or adult may be at risk of harm.

Wrexham County Borough Council’s Corporate Safeguarding Policy can now be found on SAM under Corporate and Customer Services Key Documents http://www.internal.wrexham.gov.uk/wordpress/key- documents/, along with supporting guidance documents.

The Policy and Guidelines reflect the Council’s commitment to safeguard children and adults and to protect them from being abused when they receive services arranged and provided by or on behalf of the Council. To support this, the Council have identified the Senior Lead Officer within the Organisation responsible for improved accountability for planning safeguarding improvements as Clare Field, Executive Director – People and the Lead Member for Safeguarding, responsible for ensuring that there are lines of accountability within the organisation as Cllr Michael Williams, Lead Member for Children & Young People Services.

Appendix 7. Celebrations and Memorials at the Country Parks.

Oak bench with back including plaque, delivery and installation. £650 Various locations available around the park.

Oval Oak Bench including plaque, delivery and installation. Locations available include the herb garden area, the woodlands and the riverside. £350

Adoption of existing oak benches by river. Includes plaque plus donation towards cost of refurbishment and upkeep. £260

‘Everlasting’ Picnic benches .

From £800 including plaque for rectangle to £1400 for round bench. These metal benches are the most vandal resistant available. Wooden benches available.

Native Snow drop bulbs Help create a memorable spring woodland carpet. Locations Minibeast woods and New forest. £20 per 100 bulbs.

Oak tree Standard oak plus stock proof fencing. £200 (advise watering visits during dry spells)

Please phone 01978 822780 / 763140 or e mail [email protected] to discuss your requirements. Pro

57 Appendix 8 For further information contact

Liz Carding

Senior Parks and Countryside Officer Uwch Swyddog Parciau a Chefn Gwlad

01978 822780 / 763143 07740026732 Ty Mawr Country Park, Cae Gwilym Lane, Cefn Mawr, Wrexham. LL14 3PE Parc Gwledig Tŷ Mawr, Lon Cae Gwilym, Cefn Mawr, Wrecsam. LL14 3PE wrexham.gov.uk/countryside | wrecsam.gov.uk twitter.com/wrexhamcbc | twitter.com/cbswrecsam facebook.com/wrexhamcouncil | facebook.com/cyngorwrecsam

i

58