morefromtrees Keeping you up-to-date on the latest news from on creating The Mersey Forest Autumn 2011

2010/11 in figures

£5 of projects for Photo: McCoy Wynne every £1 invested The Mersey Forest continues to A welcome from Cllr Mike Biggin, Mayor provide great value for money, of Warrington, and Cllr Geoff Settle especially in the current economic 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 annual contribution of £18,155 per authority led to the delivery of £834,611 of projects right here on Over these two decades there have our doorsteps thanks to the way The been many changes to organisations and structures, but those Mersey Forest Team levers in extra we all face at present are possibly the most challenging. 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. Highlights from Cllr Mike Biggin Cllr Geoff Settle warrington Mayor of Warrington and Member for The Mersey Forest, member for The Mersey Forest Warrington Borough Council 1.4 hectares of new woodland planting has been achieved within Warrington. This is an area the size of 2 football pitches.

43 hectares of existing Follow us on Twitter woodland has been brought into management to secure its future. Join our 320 followers on Twitter, an excellent way

to keep up to date with the latest Forest news. www.twitter.com/merseyforest 653 metres of wildlife-friendly hedgerow has been planted. Latest local stories Page 2

Risley Moss launched as London 2012 “Inspire” woodland

Warrington’s Risley Moss Local Borough Council and local this summer, enjoying his first Nature Reserve has been unveiled running club Spectrum Striders meeting held at Delamere Forest. as the first of seven “Running to walk or run anything from a Rings” sites across The Mersey couple of hundred metres to a £14,000 towards new facilities Forest. mile and receive their time and Risley Moss will benefit from certificate. £14,000 funding secured by The As part of this London 2012 Mersey Forest for Warrington “Inspire” endorsed project, Cllr Geoff Settle, Chair of the Borough Council for new facilities The Mersey Forest is creating a Warrington Nature Conservation to encourage as many people series of circular routes in local Forum, ran the 580 metre course, as possible to visit the nature community woodlands to help and commented: “This is a reserve. people get active and enjoy great little course for everyone. nature. Beginners can start by simply Through a Forestry Commission walking, progress to jogging and Woodland Improvement Grant, Family activity morning then speeding up when their the site will benefit from seven To kick things off, a “Running fitness improves.” picnic benches, already installed, Rings” activity morning was held and seating, interpretation boards in May 2011, with families joining Cllr Settle also joined The and Running Rings routemarkers The Mersey Forest, Warrington Mersey Forest Steering Group to be added soon. Latest local stories Page 3

Improving access to nature hotspot

Exploring The Mersey Forest

What is The Mersey Forest?

Wheelchair users and other members of the public can now enjoy nature conservation area The Twiggeries more easily, thanks to a revamp of the site’s woodland and boardwalk.

Unwelcoming and difficult to access The wildlife hotspot, located next to Warrington cemetery and consisting of wet woodland and reed beds, was previously The Mersey Forest is a growing unwelcoming to members of the public due to its overgrown network of woodlands and green willow creating a dark, dense environment. Wheelchair access spaces spread across was difficult due to the site’s narrow boardwalks, and the site and Merseyside, which has been suffered from the encroachment of invasive, non-native species creating ‘woodlands on your Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam. doorstep’ since 1994.

£7,000 funding secured by The Mersey Forest The Forest is one of the leading The Mersey Forest helped landowner Warrington Borough environmental regeneration Council to secure nearly £7,000 of funding to improve the site initiatives in the North West. through the Forestry Commission’s English Woodland Grant Through community and Scheme. partnership working, we have planted more than 8 million trees Improvements make woodland more inviting for all – equivalent to five new trees for The woodland has now been opened up for the benefit of both every person living within the wildlife and members of the public. Coppicing the willow around Forest area. the site’s paths and boardwalks has improved light levels and lines of sight, while also helping to improve the age structure We achieve all of this and more of the woodland, making sure the site has a healthy mixture of mature trees and new growth. The increased light in particular through our partnership of seven has resulted in a thriving and more diverse range of plants local authorities (Cheshire West growing on the woodland floor. The invasive species are under a and , Halton, Knowsley, programme of control with the aim of eradication. Liverpool, Sefton, St.Helens & Warrington), landowners, the Wheelchair access improved Forestry Commission, Natural Interpretation boards are to be installed to help people learn and businesses including more about the woodland, and wheelchair access has been United Utilities. improved by widening and developing the boardwalk that spans boggy areas of the site. merseyforest.org.uk Latest local stories Page 4

Euclid park in pictures

Enjoy these before and after photos of ’s revitalised Euclid Park, which has delighted local residents following a major revamp thanks to The Mersey Forest and partners earlier in 2011.

Before

Funding for the project was secured by The Mersey Forest and Grappenhall and Parish Council (with strong input from Cllr Mike Biggin, Mayor of Warrington) from the Play Pathfinder Programme. Latest local stories Page 5

Bradshaw Community Primary School ready to plant trees as part of a previous wave of school grounds improvements in Warrington.

Outdoor learning means healthier kids

Warrington has caught the settings for natural play and List of schools outdoor education bug - with outdoor learning within their own The full list of schools to benefit is: many schools wanting to improve grounds. their grounds to create outdoor Glazebury Primary learning environments and help Other public spaces Primary pupils reconnect with nature. also to be greened St.Wilfrid’s Other public spaces within the Cobbs Infant & Nursery School Orchards and new borough will also be greened Croft Primary mini-woodlands including Barley Road play area, South Primary The Mersey Forest will be working Euclid Park and playing Culcheth CP Primary with seven local primaries this fields. The improvements form autumn and winter to make their part of The Mersey Forest’s drive plans a reality, using funding from to make Warrington and the rest The Big Tree Plant. The schools of Merseyside and North Cheshire are set to benefit from orchards, one of the best places to live in new mini woodlands and wildlife- the country, full of exciting green friendly hedgerows to create spaces to discover and explore. Latest Forest-wide 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 Forest-wide stories Page 7

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 Forests 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 Latest Forest-wide stories Page 8

Making the case for community woodlands

Last winter’s outcry over plans for public woodlands led to the announcement of a national review of England’s approach to woods and forests. As part of this, The Mersey Forest has been making the case for the importance of community woodlands for people, wildlife and economy.

Visit by Chair of Panel Chairing the Independent Panel on Forestry set up to advise the government is the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones. In June,

The Mersey Forest and partners Photo: Tony Beyga took the Bishop to see a brand new community woodland in action and talk to local residents of view and took on board all the The paper argues that the current who have benefited from the comments and feedback. debate needs to focus on “how project. we can increase the amount of “We hope he took away a positive woodland, protect what we have One year on from being planted, impression and he could clearly and maximise its public benefits”. Mab Lane Community Woodland see the amount of hard work and It tackles the issue from three has been named as Merseyside’s effort that has gone into making angles: forestry for commerce, Neighbourhood Improvement the woodland a very valuable forestry for community, and Project of the year and been community resource.” forestry for climate. proclaimed “a brilliant idea” by local residents who say it has All at The Mersey Forest wish the A round-table discussion was also “really changed the area”. Bishop a speedy recovery from held with partners from across his recent ill-health, and we look the local area to feed into The “Valuable community resource” forward to working with him Mersey Forest’s formal response to As part of his visit to the again soon. the Independent Panel’s “call for woodland, the Bishop heard from views”. members of the local community Mersey Forest paper launched about the difference that the The Mersey Forest has also Read the paper at: woodland had made to the area, launched a paper entitled www.merseyforest.org.uk/files/ with local resident Tony Beyga “Seeing the wood for the trees - seeingthewoodforthetrees.pdf commenting: the Forestry Review and why it matters”, which draws upon the “Bishop Jones appeared very Forest’s twenty years’ experience impressed with the woodlands in community forestry. and listened to everyone’s point Latest Forest-wide stories Page 9

Sustainable creature comforts

As winter approaches, The Forest has mapped ‘off gas’ parts Mersey Forest is working to give of Cheshire and Warrington, and local businesses and residents made contact with businesses in a renewable choice for their these areas to provide advice on heating, using wood as a fuel. changing away from increasingly expensive alternative fuels such Online calculator as heating oil and coal. The Mersey Forest has launched an online calculator to help Helping landowners to grow businesses and consumers wood for fuel explore the financial and carbon Through its Woodland Advisory benefits of switching to a wood Service, The Mersey Forest is also fuel boiler to take advantage of now offering free support and the government’s Renewable training on growing wood for from their own row of trees in a Heat Incentive (RHI). fuel for eligible woodland owners young plantation at ’s and managers in Merseyside and Carey Park which is in need of The free tool at www. Halton. thinning. merseyforest.org.uk/rhicalculator is believed to be the first of its This will include advising on This is of broader interest since kind, and provides users with opportunities to benefit from thanks to the work of The Mersey estimates of how much they the new Woodfuel Woodland Forest Partnership over the past would earn from the RHI, how Improvement Grant launched by twenty years, there is now a whole quickly their boiler would pay for the Forestry Commission to fund cohort of young woodlands across itself, the expected difference in the thinning of woodland and the Merseyside and North Cheshire annual fuel bill and what return extraction of timber. By building that will soon be in a similar they could see after 20 years. both supply of and demand for position. Therefore eyes are on the woodfuel in Merseyside and pilot project to see the viability of It is hoped that the new tool Cheshire, The Mersey Forest is the ‘allotment’ approach at other will encourage organisations working to not only support the sites across The Mersey Forest and residents to emulate the local economy, but also show how area. recently opened Hope Academy sustainable renewable fuel can in Newton-Le-Willows, which be part of the solution to climate Funding has installed a biomass boiler change and energy security. Funding for the RHI calculator and solar panels which together and Woodland Advisory Service provide 100% of its heating and Wood fuel allotment comes from the Mersey Rural hot water requirements. The Mersey Forest has also Leader programme, Defra and the teamed up with Northwich Northwest Regional Development Off the gas grid community group the Friends of Agency. The NWDA also co-funded The calculator is already Anderton and Marbury to launch the project to support ‘off gas’ highlighting the particular a pilot ‘wood fuel allotment’ that businesses alongside the Cheshire advantages of biomass for those may prove to be the way forward and Warrington Economic in off-grid areas whose properties for many of the area’s young Commission. aren’t connected to mains gas. woodlands. The test project will In anticipation of these findings, enable local stove and fire owners over the past year The Mersey to pay a small fee to harvest logs Photo: McCoy Wynne

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