In December, the Volunteers will go to Thornton Wood first to dismantle the unsafe bridge across Clatter Brook. Cheshire Wildlife Trust, on our request, have installed a new bridge on the condition the volunteers remove the old one. Heavy Oak Coppice will be tidied up from last season’s hedging brash to benefit the ancient woodland ground flora underneath. A start will be made on cutting a new coppice coupe near the entrance to the wood. Starting “entrance coppice” is an involved project as the coppice stools are large, but will re- There is a Volunteers’ Christmas Party in Bebington. Let Paul know if you want to come along. Bring a contribution to share. At the butterfly park efforts will continue in removing the encroaching bramble, blackthorn and snowberry from around the park. The embankment coppicing will continue, primroses have done well under the coppicing regime. This is the third cut of the coppice area and will provide a large number of hedging stakes. Being on a south western facing slope there is more light getting to each stool than if the area was flat. Trolley/wheelbarrow access to the base of coppice areas can be improved by removing turf and exposing the railway ballast track bed. This will help tremendously in extracting materials. Further primroses can be plug planted into the coppice area once the coppice season has finished. The seeds have been sown. There will be some hedge laying and further turf removal overlying the railway ballast area will occur. This will benefit the bird’s- |
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At Thornton Common betwixt Christmas and New Year there will be hedge laying along the eastern enclosure hedge, willow removal oaks south of the ponds can be re- January sees the volunteers back at New Ferry Butterfly Park continuing with coppicing on the embankment cutting the hazel to benefit primroses which in turn benefits early flying bumble bee queens and brimstone butterflies.
Turf striping over the railway ballast beds will continue as it is one of the best ways to create a wildflower grassland rapidly. Later in January the “Entrance Coppice” at Thornton Wood will be developed further. The 37th AGM is at Windsor Close Community Centre and will be followed by a slide show of activities over the year. It is a chance to improve and develop the group further and for members to contribute more to the group as the group expands its activities. The 17th Cheshire style free hedge laying training event will be held at Liverpool University’s Farm, Wood Farm, Neston. Please book on the Eventbrite link on the volunteers’ web page or with Paul. The event will be followed by a meal in the Seven Stars, Thornton Hough @ 4.30pm. Last time there was much interest and compliments from the public as a footpath runs alongside the laid hedge. A group meal followed by meeting will be held at the John Masefield. The venue is up for sale at the moment, so please let Paul know that you are coming a few days before just in case of issues with the venue. |
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Where |
Event |
Meeting Point |
Time |
December 2022 |
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Saturday 3rd |
Thornton Wood |
Bridge removal, tidy up of Heavy Oak Coppice and extending into a new coppice area |
Bridge over M53 on Thornton Common Road |
9:30am |
Saturday 10th |
Paul’s |
Pot Luck Christmas Buffet, please bring a contribution |
Please book with Paul via jpl@liv.ac.uk |
7:30pm |
Sunday 11th |
New Ferry Butterfly Park |
Bramble removal and Blackthorn clearance, embankment coppicing, turf removal and hedgelaying |
New ferry Butterfly Park |
9:30am |
Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th |
Thornton Common |
Hedgelaying, Willow Removal Oak crown lifting and Oak pollarding |
Wirral Rugby Club Car Park |
9:30am |
January 2023 |
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Sunday 8th |
New Ferry Butterfly Park |
Bramble removal and Blackthorn clearance, embankment coppicing, turf removal and hedgelaying |
New ferry Butterfly Park |
9:30am |
Saturday 21st |
Thornton Wood |
Starting a Hazel coppice, new coupe “Entrance Coppice” |
Bridge over M53 on Thornton Common Road |
9:30am |
Monday 23rd |
Windsor Close Community Centre |
37th Annual General Meeting & slide show |
Windsor Close, New Ferry. CH62 5BZ |
7:30pm |
February 2023 |
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Saturday 5th |
Woods Farm, opposite Leahurst Campus |
17th WCV Cheshire style free hedgelaying Training Day. When confirmed, please book Eventbrite or with Paul on jpl@liv.ac.uk |
Woods Farm, Cuckoo Lane, CH64 7TB |
09:30 |
Thursday 9th |
New Ferry |
Group Meal Group Meeting |
John Masefield public house, New Chester Road, New Ferry |
Meal : 7:00pm Meeting: 8:00pm |
Sunday 12th |
New Ferry Butterfly Park |
Bramble removal and Blackthorn clearance, embankment coppicing, turf removal and hedgelaying |
New ferry Butterfly Park |
9:30am |