For weeks now a committed group of local residents have been giving up some of their spare time to help rid the park of the Himalayan Balsam – not a skilful task but something that needs doing. And last Sunday morning looked to be more of the same. But then Adam Machin – a Volunteer Co-ordinator with Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) – asked if he could join us which he did.
As we worked. Adam told us about a range of wondrous things we could do that would help conserve and improve our green spaces and how he could work with us on doing these. How is this possible? It’s all thanks to a £1.2 million grant that CWT has been granted from the Heritage Lottery Fund to invest in volunteering across the region over the next four years.
So, from the start of August, Adam will be coming along to our task days to support us in a very practical way and pass on his considerable skills and knowledge. His first job is to work with us and Stockport Council to create a volunteer work programme that includes all the Heaton Mersey greenspaces and covers a range of wildlife conservation activities such as woodland management and creating meadow and wildflower areas; things that will help promote a productive habitat for flora and fauna and make our green spaces a more enjoyable place for us all to spend time.
But it won’t all be work … if you are wondering about the image at the top of this page, this is a ‘bat walk’. One of Adam’s aims is to lead walks in the area which will be open to anyone interested in exploring the great outdoors and learning more about different wildlife environments. And, he’s got lots more ideas like this to share with us!
So, if you have ever thought about getting involved in local conservation then now is definitely the time to do it. Not only can you be sure of getting some good fresh air & exercise, you’ll be expanding your skills and knowledge (e.g. of plant and animal species, of practical outdoor skills) and doing this with other like-minded people.
To keep track of what’s going on, visit our Events page, email us to go on our mailing list or click on the Facebook link below and ‘Like’ our page.
P.S. The prize for the tallest balsam plant pulled this year goes to Dorothy – a real whopper at 11 ½ ft !!