Mersey Basin Campaign Blog

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.

Update on the artists' work

Hi,

Well, time is flying by and it's only a week until the big night.  We've finished our research and have been busy creating the artworks for the event.

We're stitching, sculpting, writing, editing, creating sounds and generally running around and enjoying it!  We were very excited by the Verdin Exchange where we could have spent hours rummaging around their costume department.  We limited ourselves to an hour and came away laden with useful bits and pieces, props and some fantastic outfits!  Come along on the evening to see them!

But we aren't the only ones who have been busy.  We have run a couple of workshops with youngsters from Barnton Youth Group who will be performing on the night.  They've been as busy as bees - but we don't want to give too much away.

Also, we have worked with some ladies from the W.I. choir, who will be kindly presenting a piece of work on the 4th.  A big thank you to them. 

It's been great seeing Anderton Nature Park changing over the seasons and even in the last few weeks things are looking more autumnal.  It's also been good to see the area in the dark as it's a completely different experience.  Anyway, we have finalised the details of the walk and decided where most of the artwork will be and we are looking forward to installing the work and seeing you at the event.

We'll post some more pictures in the next couple of days.

Julia and Megan, the artists

Watch this space

The highlight of MWH Mersey Basin Week in the Upper Weaver area will be the Nantwich Riverside Environment Day - Sunday 12th October 08 - based at Shrewbridge Road car park in Nantwich.  There will be opportunities to plant a variety of wildflower seeds and plugs, have a go at willow weaving, and BBC Radio Stoke will be covering the whole event.  Come down between noon and 4pm to join in the fun

More details coming soon, or email Izzy at [email protected] for more info