Christmas morefromtrees Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from The Mersey Team December 2010

Five top festive woodland walks

Stretch your legs courtesy of the revamped and improved: www.discoverthemerseyforest.co.uk

1. Lymm Dam heritage trail Lymm Dam and the surrounding woodland walks are an accessible, picturesque and relaxing place to spend a frosty afternoon. Get map and direction pack Season’s greetings one and all

Merry Christmas and welcome to this festive 2. Daresbury Firs more from . Read on for news of a busy winter planting schedule, the impact of Enjoy birdsong and the fresh scent green volunteering in the area, and details of of conifers as you walk in peace how to recycle your Christmas tree. through this former ‘tree factory’. Get map and direction pack We hope that you have a good break, and see you in 2011. 3. Marbury The Mersey Forest Team Country Park A healthy two-hour walk taking in Marbury Country Park and the Anderton Boat Lift (note: boat lift itself is closed during winter). Get map and direction pack

4. The Rimrose Valley The Rimrose Valley running north- south between Crosby and Litherland forms a green finger of countryside into the urban area. Get map and direction pack

5. Pex Hill An unusual stunted woodland surrounded by heathland, with excellent views of Mersey Estuary & the mountains of North Wales. Get map and direction pack Latest Yuletide stories page 2

Busy winter shows Forest's impact

Merseyside and North Cheshire fruit trees to encourage healthy plant and care for trees in towns, will benefit from new woodland eating and encourage a greater cities and residential areas the size of 10 football pitches appreciation of where our food across . this winter thanks to an action- comes from. packed schedule to green more Funding available than 80 local sites across The Delivering The Big Tree Plant £4.2 million funding will be Mersey Forest area. The busy winter programme available between 2011 and shows how well-placed The 2015 for groups to carry out tree Community involvement and Mersey Forest is to deliver The planting projects in their area, healthy eating Big Tree Plant, the government's with information on how to apply The new planting will get a wide new campaign for funding available at range of groups involved in their launched earlier this month. www.direct.gov.uk/thebigtreeplant local environment, from schools or by calling The Mersey Forest to community volunteers. The Big Tree Plant campaign will Offices on 01925 816217. Bringing even more benefits, the encourage community groups, new greenery will include 200 organisations and individuals to Latest Yuletide stories page 3

Get active!

Since 2007 our popular walking Making it easier to discover our Running Rings project to and cycling website Discover The places to keep fit create a series of woodland Mersey Forest has helped people The new site's simplified layout fitness routes as part of the from across the Forest area to makes it quicker than ever to get London 2012 Games. find places to explore on their inspired and find a route on your doorstep, with visitors having doorstep within a single click. Try it for yourself downloaded more than 13,000 Visit Discover The Mersey Forest 'route packs' of maps and The range of activities to choose to give the new incarnation of the directions for walks, bike rides from has also been increased, site a try and to see the and horse riding routes. and visitors can now pick from difference for yourself… almost 100 local walks, rides and Now the site has been re- woodlands. www.discoverthemerseyforest.co.uk launched with an improved interface and new places to London 2012 Games - Inspire explore to help get even more programme people active. Discover The Mersey Forest also now has a dedicated page about Latest Yuletide stories page 4

Harnessing £400,000 worth of volunteering efforts

Photo: McCoy Wynne

Environmental charity BTCV has any green activity, have now "no experience = no job = no helped volunteers in The Mersey taken up volunteering to improve experience" faced by so many Forest to contribute a staggering their local environment thanks to young people. 8,887 work days in the last 12 the scheme, and more than months to transform community 1,200 work days were Get involved! green spaces and plant undertaken this year by 16 to 25 If you would like to get involved in thousands of trees. year-olds. green volunteering in The Mersey Forest with BTCV, contact Neil The volunteers’ efforts equate to Four volunteers secure jobs McMahon (for more than £400,000 worth of Four people have secured enquiries) at work at sites across Merseyside employment thanks to their [email protected] or on and Cheshire, measured at £50 volunteering, after gaining vital 0151 423 4433 or Pete Attwood per volunteer per day. experience as BTCV Volunteer (for Cheshire enquiries) at Officers. By offering the chance [email protected] or on Engaging young people to organise real projects, these 01244 300230. Young people, some of whom had voluntary positions provide a way previously not been involved in to break the vicious of cycle of Latest Yuletide stories page 5

2011 is International Year of

2011 has been declared international standards - with than 8 million trees and engaged International Year of Forests by timber from the woodlands able more than 100,000 people from the United Nations General to carry the well-known FSC logo. communities across North Assembly. The Year of Forests will Knowsley Council is also on the Cheshire and Merseyside. raise awareness on sustainable path to achieving this management, conservation and certification for its woodlands. To celebrate the 20th birthday of sustainable development of all the Forest, a ‘thank you’ event for types of forests. 20 years of community all those who have contributed to Next year will also coincide with the greening of the local area Sustainable woodlands in The the 20th anniversary of the start over the course of two decades Mersey Forest of The Mersey Forest. In 1991 will be held at Risley Moss Local The announcement is welcomed The Mersey Forest was Nature Reserve in June, as part by The Mersey Forest established, and a small Forest of the reserve’s annual Green Partnership, whose work at the Team began work to prepare The Safari festival. local level has made its own Mersey Forest Plan for the important contribution to these environmental regeneration of themes in recent years. For the local area, which was example, all woodlands owned by launched in 1994. St.Helens Council and Sefton Council are now certified as Since then The Mersey Forest sustainably managed to Partnership has planted more How to tree-cycle... page 6

How to recycle your real Christmas tree in each local authority within The Mersey Forest

CHESHIRE WEST AND CHESTER ST.HELENS Christmas trees can be recycled at There are 15 collection points for Real Christmas trees can be left in any household waste recycling recycling Christmas trees in Liverpool the marked areas at the following centre in Cheshire West and Chester, located across the city: locations to be recycled: and there will also be a series of home collections, information about Alderfield Drive - Speke Naylor Car Park - 9th Jan which has been distributed to Woolton road - boys club car park 10-00-1530 residents. - Yew Tree car park Sherdley Park - 9th Jan at 10.00 Calderstones Park - Calderstones Taylor Park - 9th Jan at 11.00 Road car park Rectory Nursery - 9th Jan 11.00 HALTON Longlane Recreation Ground - Real Christmas trees in Halton can Garston be recycled at: - 1st car park WARRINGTON - Ullet Gate In Warrington you can recycle your Recycling & Household Waste Sefton park - Livingston Drive off real Christmas tree at any Centre, Johnsons Lane, Widnes, Drive Community Recyclin Centre WA8 0SJ - tel: 0151 495 1251 park - tennis centre car including: park Recycling & Household Waste - Gardeners Drive Gatewarth Community Recycling Centre, Picow Farm Road, Runcorn, (Shield Road end) Centre, Gatewarth Industrial WA7 4UB - tel: 01928 591082 Everton Park - viewing platform, Estate, Barnard Street, WA5 1DD Netherfield Road North The Christmas trees can be recycled Stanley Park - car park Woolston Community Recycling in the Green Waste skips which are Croxteth Park - Oak Lane car park Centre, off New Cut Lane, then sent for recycling into compost. Kings Drive, Woolton Woolston, WA1 4AG The sites are open every day except Green Lane Triangle, Allerton Christmas Day from 8am to 6pm. Stockton Heath Community The sites are available daily Recycling Centre, off Sandy Lane, For further details please call the throughout the Christmas and New Stockton Heath, WA4 2AY Contact Centre on 0151 907 8300. Year holidays, up to Monday 17 January. The community recycling centres are open every day except KNOWSLEY Christmas Day, Boxing Day and From Saturday 1 January to Sunday SEFTON New Year's Day. Opening times are 9 January 2011 (between 10am and After Christmas, Cleansing Services 8am to 4pm. 4pm) you can leave your real will collect real Christmas trees for Christmas tree at: composting. This service is available on request, for a limited period, for Halewood Park, Okell Drive, residents in the borough. To arrange Halewood a collection, please call Sefton Plus Stadt Moers Park, Pottery Lane, on 0845-140 0845. The service is Whiston strictly limited and will be operated Millbrook Park Millennium Green, on a first come, first served basis. Old Hall Lane, Kirkby Court Hey Car Park, Roby Road, From 2nd January, 2011, residents Huyton can also take their trees to Lifeboat Holy Family Social Club, Hall Lane, Road Car Park, Formby or Cronton alternatively drop them off at Crosby Coastal Park, off Cambridge Road, If you require further information Waterloo. about the refuse and recycling service contact the Environmental Residents are reminded to remove all Helpline on 443 2400. decorations and any metal base brackets before recycling their real Christmas tree. Photo: McCoy Wynne

Want to know more or get involved? Contact Paul Nolan, Director, The Mersey Forest 01925 816217 [email protected] merseyforest.org.uk