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Family plant almost 300 trees to fulfil dream of creating woodland
A Cheshire resident with some spare, unused land adjacent to her home has made the move to plant a small woodland for her family to enjoy for years to come.
Helen Joynson, owner of Hope Barn, built her home in Agden, Cheshire, with her late husband. When they moved to the property, they shared a dream of creating a woodland on their land, located next to their home. Several years on Helen has achieved their original plan with the support of her three grown up children who she lives with at the property.
The paddock next to the property had never been used, so Helen was keen to make better use of it. After contacting The Mersey Forest, Helen received support and grant funding through the Trees for Climate programme to plant 274 trees, made up of 211 native broadleaf trees, 45 shrubs and 18 fruit trees on the site.
Helen explains: "We already had a small orchard in a section of the paddock, but we were keen to add to that. We've planted a mix of trees including pear, plum, crab apples and apple trees."
While there was already existing wildlife in the area, such as owls, the family were keen to attract more to their property by planting a mixed species woodland that would provide ideal habitat for a range of mammals, birds and insects. Helen said she also wanted to be able to walk through the trees on the land and plant something for future generations. "I really like the idea that my grandchildren will one day get to enjoy it when it is more established," she said.
Helen found out about the Mersey Forest's funding scheme through a member of staff at Cheshire West and Chester Council. "Lots of other organisations I'd approached had needed more hectares to be able to fund the project, so the grant through the Mersey Forest was perfect," said Helen. "The team was a dream to work with, and I was delighted that someone understood what I wanted to do."
Allium Green Space, a local landscaping company, planted the site. Helen was keen to get involved and helped the team with planting on the day.
"This was very much a family project," said Helen. "And as the summer after the planting was very dry, the children all pitched in to help water the trees regularly to make sure they survived."
If you are interested in finding out about the funding and support available for tree planting projects in the area, visit our webpage about woodland advice and grants for landowners.
Helen Joynson, owner of Hope Barn, built her home in Agden, Cheshire, with her late husband. When they moved to the property, they shared a dream of creating a woodland on their land, located next to their home. Several years on Helen has achieved their original plan with the support of her three grown up children who she lives with at the property.
The paddock next to the property had never been used, so Helen was keen to make better use of it. After contacting The Mersey Forest, Helen received support and grant funding through the Trees for Climate programme to plant 274 trees, made up of 211 native broadleaf trees, 45 shrubs and 18 fruit trees on the site.
Helen explains: "We already had a small orchard in a section of the paddock, but we were keen to add to that. We've planted a mix of trees including pear, plum, crab apples and apple trees."
While there was already existing wildlife in the area, such as owls, the family were keen to attract more to their property by planting a mixed species woodland that would provide ideal habitat for a range of mammals, birds and insects. Helen said she also wanted to be able to walk through the trees on the land and plant something for future generations. "I really like the idea that my grandchildren will one day get to enjoy it when it is more established," she said.
Helen found out about the Mersey Forest's funding scheme through a member of staff at Cheshire West and Chester Council. "Lots of other organisations I'd approached had needed more hectares to be able to fund the project, so the grant through the Mersey Forest was perfect," said Helen. "The team was a dream to work with, and I was delighted that someone understood what I wanted to do."
Allium Green Space, a local landscaping company, planted the site. Helen was keen to get involved and helped the team with planting on the day.
"This was very much a family project," said Helen. "And as the summer after the planting was very dry, the children all pitched in to help water the trees regularly to make sure they survived."
If you are interested in finding out about the funding and support available for tree planting projects in the area, visit our webpage about woodland advice and grants for landowners.
Over 100 trees planted for community wellbeing
A wellbeing garden in Kelsall, Cheshire has benefitted from 113 broadleaf trees being planted on their site, totalling 0.01ha gross area of new woodland.
This project is part of the Green Recovery programme that aims to kickstart a Green Recovery across Merseyside and Cheshire, boosting nature recovery and connecting more people to nature across the area. The project has allowed The Mersey Forest to work with 14 schools and community projects to develop new areas of woodland and establish suitable outdoor classrooms to engage children and community groups in outdoor activities. The trees provided for this project have been funded by the Trees for Climate programme, part of the government-led Nature for Climate Fund.
During the planning process for Kelsall's new Medical Centre, the doctors recognised that, as demands on the NHS and Social Care increase due to an aging population and rising costs, more is needed within communities to improve health and wellbeing. As a result, The Wellbeing Hub was constructed to support the community, alongside an adjacent outside space.
113 trees were planted in this space with the aim of creating an outdoor wellbeing area for public use. Helen Ritchie, Kelsall Wellbeing Hub Manager, explained: "We decided to plant trees because we are developing a sensory garden at the Wellbeing Hub and thought trees would be a perfect addition. I did online research, found The Mersey Forest, and contacted them via email."
Alongside the main woodland planting, which has been designed to incorporate managed open ground to benefit biodiversity, beech trees have been planted as a hedgerow at five trees per lineal metre in a double staggered row where possible.
"It was a great process, especially working with the very friendly representatives from Mersey Forest," said Helen. "If anyone has land suitable for tree planting, I'd say go for it!"
If you are interested in finding out about the funding and support available for tree planting projects in the area, visit our webpage about woodland advice and grants for landowners.
This project is part of the Green Recovery programme that aims to kickstart a Green Recovery across Merseyside and Cheshire, boosting nature recovery and connecting more people to nature across the area. The project has allowed The Mersey Forest to work with 14 schools and community projects to develop new areas of woodland and establish suitable outdoor classrooms to engage children and community groups in outdoor activities. The trees provided for this project have been funded by the Trees for Climate programme, part of the government-led Nature for Climate Fund.
During the planning process for Kelsall's new Medical Centre, the doctors recognised that, as demands on the NHS and Social Care increase due to an aging population and rising costs, more is needed within communities to improve health and wellbeing. As a result, The Wellbeing Hub was constructed to support the community, alongside an adjacent outside space.
113 trees were planted in this space with the aim of creating an outdoor wellbeing area for public use. Helen Ritchie, Kelsall Wellbeing Hub Manager, explained: "We decided to plant trees because we are developing a sensory garden at the Wellbeing Hub and thought trees would be a perfect addition. I did online research, found The Mersey Forest, and contacted them via email."
Alongside the main woodland planting, which has been designed to incorporate managed open ground to benefit biodiversity, beech trees have been planted as a hedgerow at five trees per lineal metre in a double staggered row where possible.
"It was a great process, especially working with the very friendly representatives from Mersey Forest," said Helen. "If anyone has land suitable for tree planting, I'd say go for it!"
If you are interested in finding out about the funding and support available for tree planting projects in the area, visit our webpage about woodland advice and grants for landowners.
Celebratory event held to recognise environmental achievements
In mid-June, partners from the Green Recovery programme joined together in Liverpool at an event to celebrate the programme's achievements.
More From Trees, our Green Recovery Challenge funded project, has been running since December 2021 and includes a wide range of partners who are focused on boosting nature recovery. The project has been active across Merseyside and Cheshire and aims to enhance biodiversity, connect people to nature, reduce flooding, and improve the overall health of the region's environment.
This celebratory event in Liverpool was a great opportunity to come together in person to collectively share all the inspiring work, approaches, challenges, and achievements of the project.
Councillor Barbara Murray, vice chair of The Mersey Forest Steering Group and Councillor at Liverpool City Council opened the event, welcoming the huge range of partners who made this project such a success.
A speakers' showcase took place in the afternoon, with presentations from experts on Connecting Communities to Nature, Natural Flood Management, Making Space for Nature in Liverpool, and more.
An afternoon visit to the community garden at St. Michaels Church provided an opportunity to see an example of how the project has been used to support green initiatives in Liverpool. Green Recovery funds enabled a number of 'Natural Health Service' activities to continue, including the gardening sessions run by Faiths4Change which have been a great success.
35 delegates attended the event – with 90% of respondents to a feedback survey rating the event as 'excellent' or 'good'. In the feedback, the event was described as an "interesting event that helped pull together the different aspects of the project" and "an enjoyable day, and the perfect chance to meet all those involved."
Overall, the feedback was very positive, and the event reinforced that there's a real momentum behind efforts to continue to support the range of activities facilitated over the last 15 months.
"More from Trees" is led by The Mersey Forest in partnership with Liverpool City Council, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, Liverpool John Moores University, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, and the PATT Foundation.
This project is funded by the Government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund, which is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency and Forestry Commission.
More From Trees, our Green Recovery Challenge funded project, has been running since December 2021 and includes a wide range of partners who are focused on boosting nature recovery. The project has been active across Merseyside and Cheshire and aims to enhance biodiversity, connect people to nature, reduce flooding, and improve the overall health of the region's environment.
This celebratory event in Liverpool was a great opportunity to come together in person to collectively share all the inspiring work, approaches, challenges, and achievements of the project.
Councillor Barbara Murray, vice chair of The Mersey Forest Steering Group and Councillor at Liverpool City Council opened the event, welcoming the huge range of partners who made this project such a success.
A speakers' showcase took place in the afternoon, with presentations from experts on Connecting Communities to Nature, Natural Flood Management, Making Space for Nature in Liverpool, and more.
An afternoon visit to the community garden at St. Michaels Church provided an opportunity to see an example of how the project has been used to support green initiatives in Liverpool. Green Recovery funds enabled a number of 'Natural Health Service' activities to continue, including the gardening sessions run by Faiths4Change which have been a great success.
35 delegates attended the event – with 90% of respondents to a feedback survey rating the event as 'excellent' or 'good'. In the feedback, the event was described as an "interesting event that helped pull together the different aspects of the project" and "an enjoyable day, and the perfect chance to meet all those involved."
Overall, the feedback was very positive, and the event reinforced that there's a real momentum behind efforts to continue to support the range of activities facilitated over the last 15 months.
"More from Trees" is led by The Mersey Forest in partnership with Liverpool City Council, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, Liverpool John Moores University, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, and the PATT Foundation.
This project is funded by the Government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund, which is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency and Forestry Commission.
New woodland will leave lasting legacy for future generations
Broomy Bank, a 200-acre farm located in Malpas, Cheshire, overlooks the Cheshire plains and the Welsh hills. It is located near to the popular Sandstone Trail, with public footpaths running through the estate and an established wildflower meadow on site.
The Mersey Forest previously provided funding for tree planting on this site during the 2021/22 planting season. A 1.98ha woodland was planted, with funding provided to create ponds with hopes of attracting newts and other wildlife to the area.
A new native broadleaf woodland, including Aspen, Maple and Cherry species, has been planted this season (2022/23), covering 0.62ha, with sections planted around a natural swimming pond. The landowner employed their own contractors to plant the 1,551 trees that make up the new woodland.
The landowner is interested in conservation and was keen to enhance biodiversity and attract more wildlife, such as hares, skylarks and lapwings, which have been spotted in the area.
The Mersey Forest's Woodland Advisor worked with the landowner to design the woodland around the existing pond areas, with open space allowing for recreational use of the woodland.
There are plans to develop wetlands and more wildflower meadows on the site in the future, as well as using some of the property for grazing livestock.
Adrian Lovatt, Head Gardener at the estate, said: "Broomy Bank estate has extensive and long-established wildflower hay meadows and to further encourage biodiversity and to leave a lasting legacy for future generations we have created Newt ponds, planted new woodland and replaced lost hedges across the 200-acre farm land. Mersey Forest were an obvious choice for support in doing these projects and their expertise and advice in guiding us through the process has been invaluable."
If you are interested in planting trees on your land get in contact today to find out about our free support and grants which cover up to 100% of tree planting costs: Woodland advice and grants for landowners | The Mersey Forest
The Mersey Forest previously provided funding for tree planting on this site during the 2021/22 planting season. A 1.98ha woodland was planted, with funding provided to create ponds with hopes of attracting newts and other wildlife to the area.
A new native broadleaf woodland, including Aspen, Maple and Cherry species, has been planted this season (2022/23), covering 0.62ha, with sections planted around a natural swimming pond. The landowner employed their own contractors to plant the 1,551 trees that make up the new woodland.
The landowner is interested in conservation and was keen to enhance biodiversity and attract more wildlife, such as hares, skylarks and lapwings, which have been spotted in the area.
The Mersey Forest's Woodland Advisor worked with the landowner to design the woodland around the existing pond areas, with open space allowing for recreational use of the woodland.
There are plans to develop wetlands and more wildflower meadows on the site in the future, as well as using some of the property for grazing livestock.
Adrian Lovatt, Head Gardener at the estate, said: "Broomy Bank estate has extensive and long-established wildflower hay meadows and to further encourage biodiversity and to leave a lasting legacy for future generations we have created Newt ponds, planted new woodland and replaced lost hedges across the 200-acre farm land. Mersey Forest were an obvious choice for support in doing these projects and their expertise and advice in guiding us through the process has been invaluable."
If you are interested in planting trees on your land get in contact today to find out about our free support and grants which cover up to 100% of tree planting costs: Woodland advice and grants for landowners | The Mersey Forest
National Picnic Week
Running from the 17th - 25th June 2023, National Picnic Week encourages people to get together and enjoy the great outdoors with a good, old-fashioned picnic!
Picnicking is one of the UK's most enjoyable traditions, and it's an ideal opportunity to explore your local area and be surrounded by nature during the summer months. To help you prepare and pick out the perfect spot, we've put together a list of beautiful picnic spots to enjoy during the warmer weather.
Rivacre Valley, near Ellesmere Port
A green oasis of woodland and meadows, full of wildflowers, Rivacre Valley is a 395-acre reserve situated on the edge of Ellesmere Port. Find more information and a detailed map on the Friends of Rivacre Valley website.
Marbury Country Park, Northwich
Situated in Northwich Woodlands, many of the features of Marbury Country Park (including the lime avenues and the arboretum) are a legacy of the days when Marbury was a grand estate. The last hall, built in the 1850s, was a fine-looking house modelled on the French chateau at Fontainebleu with an imposing carriage drive entrance.
Discover more: https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/things-to-do/walks-bike-rides-and-more/walks/marbury-country-park-to-the-flashes/
Croxteth Country Park, Liverpool
Enjoy a peaceful stroll in this 500-acre country park, surrounded by magnificent woodland, grazing livestock and traditional cottages. The landscape here has changed little in over a century. Visit: https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/things-to-do/walks-bike-rides-and-more/woodlands/croxteth-country-park/
For more information, visit the Liverpool City Council page.
Old Pale, Near Delamere
Walk to the top of Old Pale, near Delamere to have a picnic with a view of seven counties. This 137-hectare site was the first area of the great Norman hunting Forests of Mara to come from forestry into agriculture, and the first to go back to forestry. It is a haven for visitors to enjoy wildlife and nature, with an arboretum, wildflower meadow and an amphitheatre for events. Already it is one of Cheshire's best areas for spotting butterflies. Learn more: https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/things-to-do/walks-bike-rides-and-more/woodlands/old-pale/
Bold Forest Park
Located in south St Helens, Bold Forest Park is made up of many sites – from inspiring sculptures at Sutton Manor to the beautiful wildflowers of Griffin Wood. Choose your favourite place to head to for a spot of lunch this week: https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/things-to-do/walks-bike-rides-and-more/woodlands/bold-forest-park/
Risley Moss, Warrington
Home to the Mersey Forest office and with picnic benches dotted around the site, this is the perfect place to immerse yourself in nature whilst enjoying a packed lunch. Find out more: https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/things-to-do/walks-bike-rides-and-more/woodlands/risley-moss/
Open 9am-5pm from Monday to Thursday, and 10am to 6pm at the weekend. See https://www.warrington.gov.uk/risleymoss to plan your visit.
With Plastic Free July on the horizon, don't forget to pack your sustainable cutlery and reusable flasks. If you don't already have them, now is the perfect time to switch from non-reusable and use sustainable products to enjoy even more picnics throughout summer.
Picnicking is one of the UK's most enjoyable traditions, and it's an ideal opportunity to explore your local area and be surrounded by nature during the summer months. To help you prepare and pick out the perfect spot, we've put together a list of beautiful picnic spots to enjoy during the warmer weather.
Rivacre Valley, near Ellesmere Port
A green oasis of woodland and meadows, full of wildflowers, Rivacre Valley is a 395-acre reserve situated on the edge of Ellesmere Port. Find more information and a detailed map on the Friends of Rivacre Valley website.
Marbury Country Park, Northwich
Situated in Northwich Woodlands, many of the features of Marbury Country Park (including the lime avenues and the arboretum) are a legacy of the days when Marbury was a grand estate. The last hall, built in the 1850s, was a fine-looking house modelled on the French chateau at Fontainebleu with an imposing carriage drive entrance.
Discover more: https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/things-to-do/walks-bike-rides-and-more/walks/marbury-country-park-to-the-flashes/
Croxteth Country Park, Liverpool
Enjoy a peaceful stroll in this 500-acre country park, surrounded by magnificent woodland, grazing livestock and traditional cottages. The landscape here has changed little in over a century. Visit: https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/things-to-do/walks-bike-rides-and-more/woodlands/croxteth-country-park/
For more information, visit the Liverpool City Council page.
Old Pale, Near Delamere
Walk to the top of Old Pale, near Delamere to have a picnic with a view of seven counties. This 137-hectare site was the first area of the great Norman hunting Forests of Mara to come from forestry into agriculture, and the first to go back to forestry. It is a haven for visitors to enjoy wildlife and nature, with an arboretum, wildflower meadow and an amphitheatre for events. Already it is one of Cheshire's best areas for spotting butterflies. Learn more: https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/things-to-do/walks-bike-rides-and-more/woodlands/old-pale/
Bold Forest Park
Located in south St Helens, Bold Forest Park is made up of many sites – from inspiring sculptures at Sutton Manor to the beautiful wildflowers of Griffin Wood. Choose your favourite place to head to for a spot of lunch this week: https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/things-to-do/walks-bike-rides-and-more/woodlands/bold-forest-park/
Risley Moss, Warrington
Home to the Mersey Forest office and with picnic benches dotted around the site, this is the perfect place to immerse yourself in nature whilst enjoying a packed lunch. Find out more: https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/things-to-do/walks-bike-rides-and-more/woodlands/risley-moss/
Open 9am-5pm from Monday to Thursday, and 10am to 6pm at the weekend. See https://www.warrington.gov.uk/risleymoss to plan your visit.
With Plastic Free July on the horizon, don't forget to pack your sustainable cutlery and reusable flasks. If you don't already have them, now is the perfect time to switch from non-reusable and use sustainable products to enjoy even more picnics throughout summer.
