Mersey Basin Campaign Blog

Doing a clean up? Watch out for daleks!

Spotted an interesting snippet in the Metro newspaper this morning - it seems a volunteer was taking part in a clean up at his local pond down in Hampshire, when he unearthed the head of a dalek from amongst the usual litter. According to the Metro, Marc Oakland saw something round and dark coming to the surface of the pond, which turned out to be the head of one of Doctor Who's archenemies, the daleks. It seems they'd filmed in the area, and this particular exterminator had been left behind. So next time you're out in your waders, just think, a piece of TV history could be just under the next shopping trolley.

The Mersey Basin Campaign offers lots of opportunities to get involved in clean-ups on the Northwest's waters. We can't promise space-rubbish, but if you'd like to take part, contact your nearest Action Partnership, or email our Community Support Coordinator, Bev Mitchell

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PIC OF MARC AND HIS DALEK

RIBBLE FORUM 08: Q&A

 

This year's Ribble Forum is taking place on Thursday 20th November at the Harris Conference Centre, Garstang Road, Preston. The event will look at a range of projects and developments throughout the Ribble catchment, including:

• The breach of the sea defences at Hesketh Outmarsh 
• The River Douglas Crossing design competition
• United Utilities improvements to river water quality

Throughout the morning there will be opportunities to ask questions of the speakers, and that's where you come in. You can submit your question in advance by leaving a comment below (click on 'Comments'), and we'll provide you with a copy on the day. Of course, if the forum raises a new question for you, you're welcome to ask a fresh question then as well......

Don't forget to leave your name and organisation, so that we know who's asking what!

If you haven't done so already, you can book to attend the forum by CLICKING HERE.

Chopping Trees in Cuerden

Cuerden Valley Park Trust in Bamber Bridge is celebrating MWH Mersey Basin Week with a full programme of events.  The River Lostock runs through the picturesque park and a group of volunteers are keen to conserve the area for its heritage and importance for wildlife.

The Sunday volunteers got together on 5 October to improve a pond area that was dug when the nearby M65 motorway was built.  The pond has grown bigger than its creators anticipated meaning trees planted at the time are often growing (and rotting) in the water.

The volunteers felled most of the trees.

Some were ring-barked to become standing dead wood and the brash was burned.  This work opened up the pond and improved the habitat for biodiversity.

The resident herd of Jacob's sheep will now help to keep the scrub from growing.

Volunteers get dirty to get things clean

Another 'Get Dirty' clean up took place in Skelmersdale this weekend and despite the rain 30 volunteers grabbed litter pickers and set about cleaning up litter hot spots on the Ashurst estate.

We decided to something a bit different at this clean up, something which we should really do at every clean up...we separated cans, plastic and glass bottles so that they could be recycled. It was shocking how many cans we found, and Vodka seems a popular tipple judging by how many bottles we found hidden in the trees!

We found the usual tyres, motorbike parts, TV, crisp packets and after a hard mornings picking we had a hearty lunch of bacon butties and homemade buns provided by some lovely ladies from the Residents Association.

All in all it was a good weekend, watch this space for the next 'Get Dirty' clean up.

Not in Wayne's World

Things seem to be hotting up with the Skelmersdale Vision plan, which aims to revitalise the town's town centre.

It's not just local residents who are not happy with some of the plans. Wayne Hemmingway, brought in to help form the Vision back in 2005 was asked by the Skelmersdale Advertiser what he thought of the plans which have recently been out for consultation. Click here for the whole interview

He is on the side of the residents, particularly those who live on Firbeck, an area earmarked for redevelopment.

SA: What do you think about the proposals on Firbeck?

WH: If the Firbeck people don’t want their houses demolished then the estate shouldn’t be demolished. If they feel it’s good enough to live there then it is – they are the ones living there.

If you go down in the clough today, be sure of a nasty surprise

This might be a bit of a negative post, but i've done it to highlight the huge problems that Skelmersdale experiences with fly tipping. It's a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde story.

There are many quiet pockets of wooded cloughs with babbling brooks throughout the town, all flowing into the River Tawd. Lots of people use these cloughs for walking their dogs, enjoying the tranquil sound of water, birds and trees rustling in the wind.

Westheads Clough after a recent community clean up

Then there's the other side to the cloughs...you don't have to walk far to see tyres, mattresses, motorbikes, televisions, toys, cabinets strewn in the water. The brooks seem to act as magnets attracting fly tipped waste dumped by local residents.

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Fly tipping in Elmers Clough and trollies at Birch Green

It's such a shame that these thoughtless actions take place, and it is something Action Douglas & Yarrow along with other organisations is trying to tackle. We can't give up!

Skelmersdale Vision out for consultation

West Lancashire District Council and national regeneration agency English Partnerships are launching exciting new proposals for the regeneration of Skelmersdale town centre, marking a new beginning for the town.

The Council is launching a four week consultation period to give local people the chance to give their views about the proposals.

The consultation period runs from Wednesday 27 June to Tuesday 24 July

If you would like to have a look at the vision for Skelmersdale click here , and if you would like to comment on the plans follow the link to the questionnaire here

Mayor of Skelmersdale gets dirty!

We had a really good weekend in Skelmersdale clearing around 10 tonnes of rubbish and bricks from Westheads Clough. Absolutely knackered today as I'm sure all the volunteers who got involved will feel the same...all 36 of them!

On Saturday, the Mayor of Skelmersdale and the Mayoress decided to pay us a visit to see what was going on in the clough. They donned our bright yellow 'get dirty at birch green' t-shirts and worked hard, litter picking for two hours! It was really good to have VIPs getting involved with such a mucky project.

Thank you Mr and Mrs Mayor!

Is your home polluting your local river?

Out of sight, out of mind. Many of us don't give much of a thought to where the water ends up if we flush the loo or use the dishwasher. We assume that it makes its journey to the treatment works so its safe for us to use again.

This is not always the case...

If your water using appliances are connected to the rainwater drain instead of the wastewater drain then your dirty water could end up in your local river and cause harm to your local wildlife. This is called a Wrong Connection.

Action Douglas and Yarrow has been working on a poster campaign to raise awareness of this problem within the Chorley borough.

Gorse Hill Nature Reserve

The Northwest Ecological Trust are a group of willing volunteers who have transformed 100 acres of former agricultural land in Ormskirk into a nature reserve.

Over the last 10 years they have carried out conservation work at Gorse Hill Nature Reserve including 5 planting miles of hedging, ponds, wetlands, meadows and woodlands. Now, over half of the bird species recorded are on the nationally endangered and threatened list.

To celebrate the work of the Trust and to find out more about the nature reserve come along on the 26th May between 11am and 4pm.

Lots of activities are taking place including:

• guided tours
• woodcrafts and chainsaw training
• rare breed sheep
• sale of wildflower plants

For more information visit www.nwecotrust.org or phone the Trust on 0151 5310067.