Mersey Basin Campaign Blog

Ready for the off!

Hi there,

My name's Sammy the Salmon, and I'm about to embark on an exciting adventure. Nope, I'm not swimming upstream to reproduce, and I'm not about to become gourmet cuisine - I'm the star of the River Mersey Relay 2007!

Check me out - aren't I a handsome specimen?

The relay starts tomorrow, Saturday 2nd June, from the beginning of the River Mersey at Ford Street, Stockport. Everyone who's anyone will be turning out to wish me 'bon voyage' as I set off on my epic journey - even the Deputy Mayor of Stockport will be there.

For the first part of my trip, I'll be letting Stockport Community Cyclists take the strain, as they carry me in style from Ford Street to Sale Water Park. I'm a bit nervous about tomorrow afternoon, though, because I'll be taking to the water with some canoeists who'll paddle from the Water Park to Carrington Recreation Ground. Swimming is all very well, but I've never been a huge fan of boats..........

Use the player above to hear Jim Court from Stockport Community Cyclists talking about the relay.

Tune in for the rest of the week, and I'll be letting you know how the journey's going, and how I'm coping with life on the road (chanelling Jack Kerouac, no doubt). John O'Groats to Lands End will have nothing on Ford Street, Stockport to Liverpool's Pier Head.

Have a look at my webpage to see exactly what I'll be up to.

Well, it beats Big Brother any day!

See you tomorrow - if I don't sink....

Sammy x

Get well soon, Dave!

I'm sorry to report that one of our soon-to-be famous Mersey People, Dave the swimmer, has recently been injured in a car crash - we hope you're doing all right, Dave, and that you're up and about again soon!

a climate of change at the town hall?

The day of the Greater Manchester Waters Forum started with a bang, as one of the speakers, Dr Jeremy Carter, went head-to-head with BBC Radio Manchester's Breakfast team. Jeremy was talking about the possible issues Manchester and the Northwest will face as a result of climate change over the coming century. With a potential 2-3 degree rise in average temperatures, and a 60% drop in summertime rainfall, water shortages and even drought could be on the agenda by the 2080s, when Manchester could experience the kind of climate currently seen in Brittany. Conversely, a 20-30% increase in winter precipitation could mean that local authorities need to plan for the increased risk of flooding. Jeremy called for adaptation to climate change to be built into future plans, and left listeners in no doubt that climate change is no longer a matter of 'if', but 'when' - despite scepticism from the other side of the microphone.....it might be hard to believe on a chilly, grey May day, but Manchester may soon have to wave a reluctant goodbye to its rainy reputation.

If you missed Jeremy on the radio, we believe the story will be covered again on tonight's BBC News Northwest at 6:30pm.

The forum also heard about other projects and issues, ranging from regeneration in Salford and Wigan to 'natural signposting' in Rochdale, and from representatives from the local angling and rambling communities.

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.

Come 'on the pull' with us on the Upper Weaver

Action Uper Weaver is working on a strategy to control Invasive non-native weeds in the Upper Weaver catchment, focussing in particular on the old favourite Himalayan Balsam.  In the long-run we hope to tackle the problem on a grand scale, but this year we are concentrating on three sites in particular.

Come and do your bit by helping us to pull up the Himalayan Balsam at any or all of these events:

Tuesday 5th June (World Environment Day) - two events.
9.30 am-12 noon - Valley Brook Nature Park, Crewe.  Meet in the car park on Wistaston Green Road
1.30-4pm - Nantwich Riverside.  Meet in the car park on Shrewbridge Road

Friday 8th June (final day of Volunteers Week)
12-3pm - Crewe Business Park.  Meet outside Natural England's office on Electra Way.  Park on the road.

For each of these activities you will need to wear suitable clothing and footwear.

For more information or to let us know you are coming please telephone Izzy Gascoigne on 01270 537071 or email [email protected]

Cheshire Waters Forum Questions

This year's Cheshire Waters Forum takes place on Thursday 5th July at Crewe Alexandra FC, Gresty Road, Crewe. Find out more on our website.

If you're attending the forum and would like to ask a question during the 'Questions to speakers' session, please feel free to leave one as a comment on this post. We'll collect the questions and bring them along on the day.

Click 'comments' below to add a question.

You'll also be welcome to ask further questions on the day, once you've seen the presentations.

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.

MWH Mersey Basin Week 2007

It's that time of year again when we start to think of plans for MWH Mersey Basin Week - a week-long celebration that aims to get people in the Northwest involved in practical activities and events on and around the Mersey and Ribble basins. MWH Mersey Basin Week 2006 was a great success, and we're hoping that this year's event will be better still. If you're interested in getting involved, or would like to register an event, visit the MWH Mersey Basin Week webpage for more details.

Keep checking back to the this blog, as we'll post about planned events for the week, and will report on how everything turns out.

Of course, we'd love to hear comments from you if you're planning an event. Use the blog to appeal for volunteers, show us pictures of what you're up to, or just to publicise your event.

Lancashire's very own Loch Ness monster?

Forget the trek up to Scotland to see if you can spot the legend that is the Loch Ness Monster, we might have our very own, if not slightly smaller critter in Lancashire.

For five years, eye witnesses have reported a beast lurking in Martin Mere, near Southport. The sightings have posed a bit of a mystery for local people, especially bird watchers using the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust site.

Check out this link to the Lancashire Evening Post who have reported the story in more detail, though you may have to wait a day or two to find out how 'monsterous' the 'monster' is!

Fly-tipping problem highlighted by the Litter Trap

On Sunday 13th May 2007 members of the public enjoyed junk music and puppet-making with the PickleHerring Theatre Company to launch the River Darwen Litter Trap Project in the community. 

Although we were horrified to see the trap is blighted by fly-tipped waste (I counted 43 tyres - see photos below!) at least the waste will be easier to remove from the trap than they would have been if they had been washed down through the catchment of the River Darwen into the River Ribble and the Ribble Estuary.  This highlights the importance of the litter trap and, in a way, is very encouraging.
   
Information about the fly-tipping has been passed on to the Environment Agency and we await the results of their investigation, hoping this will help in the project's most important aim - to prevent litter and debris from getting into the River Darwen in the first place.  If you have any information to help the Environment Agency please contact the Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60 quoting incident report number 494131.

WATCH THE LITTER TRAP IN ACTION HERE