Mersey Basin Campaign Blog

Kayaking on the River Irwell

More video goodness for you - this time kayaking at Burrs Weir on the River Irwell.....so many different ways to use our Northwest waterways, so little time....

A microlight flight along the Wirral coast

Whoa, this is a rollercoaster ride - check out this video of Nick's microlight flight along the north coast of Wirral last summer. What an unusual way to see the area:

Cheshire Year of Gardens in the Weaver Valley

  We went all arty for Cheshire Year of Gardens 08. Our main event was Night Garden which was a weird & wonderful evening wander through Anderton Nature Park, Northwich. There were performances, installations, illuminations & music. The photos give you a flavour of what was on offer. We worked with a team of fantastic artists, partners & volunteers. If you are interested in finding out more contact Ann at: [email protected]. Big thanks to everyone who made this event happen.

      

 

Salmon jumping on the Mersey

Just a quick link to this video from Youtube, showing salmon jumping at Woolston Weir in Warrington......

Social Media Exchange 2009

A quick post to say what a great day the Mersey Basin Campaign had yesterday at the Social Media Exchange. I gave a workshop looking at the ways the Campaign has used new media in its communications - including such highlights as Sammy the Salmon's adventures on the Mersey and beyond, and the Mersey: River that changed the world project.

I also attended some excellent workshops, one examining the making of BBC Radio's fantastic Don't Hang Up, and one on storytelling with the brains behind the Pablo the Dr ug Mule Dog campaign. Nathalie from OnRoadMedia talked about her experience of developing a social networking site for young gypsies, especially extolling the virtues of ning.com - a site that lets you quickly and easily set up your own social networking site for any purpose - I thought this could be a great way to organise Friends groups, or keep track of a project. Mark from Podnosh led a great surgery looking at audio and video, and I really enjoyed the great examples of video from the RNID. The highlight of that for me though was when someone compared our Mersey People audio to the work of Radio 4!

The climax of the event came with a Q&A session with film-maker Ken Loach. Ken talked about his work, relating the storytelling he does in films like Cathy Come Home to the stories the delegates are trying to spread through social media. CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO CLIP OF KEN'S SESSION.

What really stuck out for me during the day was people's 'have a go' attitude - everyone was keen to learn, and the emphasis was on what you can produce yourself, on any budget. The event was being followed and documented on Twitter, a micro-blogging site, and loads of people signed up to Twitter during the day and were posting entries from their phones / laptops during the sessions, which was fantastic. It's made me wonder what we could do in this vein at the forthcoming Environment 09 conference. (Here's Twitter's GETTING STARTED guide for the uninitiated).

That's enough from me. SMEX09 organisers Sound Delivery have made sure everything from the day has been gathered under one roof HERE, so get over there and find out what else went on......

New blogs for 2009...

 

A new year, and a couple of new blogs concerned with our Northwest waterways:

First up is John's RIVER MERSEY site, which includes a blog, video clips and links to all things Mersey-related.

For those of you further north, we have another John, this time focusing on the Ribble catchment, in the blog PUTTING FYLDE FIRST. I've linked through to his recent post on the Ribble Coast and Wetlands regional park project.

The image above, by the way, comes from Liverpool's celebration of the transition from 2008's Capital of Culture year, to 2009's Year of Environment. Click here to find out more.

Fourways Christmas Quiz - The answers....

For those still following the drama of the Ecohub North festive quiz, here are the answers.....
Happy New Year, everyone.....

Quiz of the Year:

Round 1: 2008

 

1. Which film won the Oscar for Best Picture?

 (a)    No Country For Old Men

 

2. Barack Obama won the US presidential election in November, but he isn’t president yet. When is his inauguration?

 (a)    20^th January 2009

 

 

3. How many GOLD medals did Great Britain win at the Olympics in Beijing?

 (a)    19

 

4. 2008 was a very important year in some quarters. Which of the following was it the UN’s official year of?

                                          a.       International Year of Dance

b.       International Year of Bees

c.       International Year of the Potato

d.       International Year of Knitting

 

 

(a)     The Potato – c

 

The UN says “it is hoped that the International Year designation will do for the potato what the International Year of Rice did for that foodstuff in 2004.

 

5. In what month of 2008 did the price of oil hit $100 a barrel for the first time?

 (a)    January

 

6. For the first time in 32 years, Fidel Castro isn’t President of Cuba. Who took over from him this year?

 (a)    Raul Castro

 

7. What device failed to destroy the earth, as predicted by some, in October?

 (a)    Large Hadron Collider

 

8. Which soul legend who died this year won’t be making any more chocolate salty balls?

 (a)    Isaac Hayes

 

9. Which environmentally-themed space movie, made in 1971, was set in 2008?

 (a)    Silent Running

 

10. On 1^st January 2008, the no.1 single was ‘When You Believe’, and the no.1 album was “Spirit” – but what connects the two?

 (a)    Artists Leon Jackson and Leona Lewis were both winners of ITV’s X-Factor, in 2007 and 2006 respectively.

 

Round 2: It was 40 years ago today – 1968

 

1. Which band were in the number one slot on 1^st January 1968? You get a bonus point if you can name the song…

 

(a)     The Beatles / Hello, Goodbye

 

Incidentally, the no.1 album at the time was ‘Val Doonican Rocks….But Gently’. That’s by Val Doonican….

 

2. This year, Lewis Hamilton became the first Briton to win the Formula One Drivers’ Championship since Damon Hill, but who won it in 1968?

 

(a)     Graham Hill

 

3. Manchester United became the first English club to win the European club championship in May 1968, but which NATIONAL team became European champions the following month?

 

(a)     Italy (bonus point if anyone knows that they beat Yugoslavia)

 

4. Who was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel?

 

(a)     Martin Luther King Jr

 

5. What popular children’s toy, still available today, did Mattel launch in September 1968?

 

a)      Barbie

b)      Hot Wheels

c)      Viewmaster

 

(a)     Hot Wheels

 

6. Who became a father in February ’68, and made a famous musical comeback in December?

 

(a)     Elvis Presley

 

7. Kylie Minogue was born in 1968 – yes, she really did turn forty this year – but what was her first number one hit in the UK in 1987?

 

(a)     I Should Be So Lucky

 

8. The movie ‘Blade Runner’ was based on a 1968 story by Philip K. Dick. What was the title of the story?

 

(a)     ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’

 

9. What was the average price of a British house in 1968?

 

(a)     £4,300 (allow £500 either way)

 

10. Which moviestar, who died in 1968, said “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl?”

 

(b)    Charlie Chaplin

 

Round 3: The Eleven-Plus

 

1. Mary is 12 years old, and her father, Steve is 42.

 

a) How old was Mary’s father when he was four times as old as Mary?

 

He was 40, and she was 10.

 

b) In how many years will Steve be three times as old as Mary?

 

In 3 years – he will be 45 and she will be 15.

 

c) How old will Mary be when her Dad is 10 times as old as she was 6 years ago?

 

She’ll be 30, and he will be 60.

 

2. A factory employs 1044 people. One quarter of them cycle to work, and half travel by bus. Of the remainder, one third come by train, and the rest walk. How many employees walk to work?

 

174

 

3. If December 1^st falls on a Friday, on what day will Christmas Day fall that year?

 

Monday

 

4. Rewrite the following sentences, using only the correct word from each bracket:

 

a)      (Whose / Who’s) afraid of the big bad wolf?

b)      The dog can see (its / it’s) master when (its / it’s) standing by the gate.

 

 

a) Who’s, b) its, then it’s. You must get everything correct for 1 point.

 

5. The leader of a Guide Patrol is named Mary Jenkins; so her surname is Jenkins, her Christian name is Mary, and her initials are M.J. There are 6 other girls in her patrol; each has two initials.

 

Surnames: Brown, Smith, Evans, Clark, Jones

 

Christian names: Molly, Celia, Gwen, Ruth, Sally

 

Two girls have surnames and Christian names beginning with the same letter; two others are named Ruth. One of the twins has the same initials as the leader, and the other has the same Christian name as Evans.

 

Write down each girl’s full name.

 

1 point for each correct name.

 

Celia Clark

Sally Smith

Molly Jones

Ruth Jones

Ruth Evans

Gwen Brown

    

 

Round 4: Merry Christmas everyone…..

 

 1.Name 5 of Santa’s reindeers from “The Night Before Christmas

 

(a)     Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen

 

2. In the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ song, how many gifts are given in total?

 

(a)     364

 

3. In what year did Cliff Richard last have a Christmas Number 1?

 

(a)     1990

 

No bonus points for knowing the song! Which was the stunning ‘Saviour’s Day’.

 

4. Who resigned from their position of power on Christmas Day, 1991?

 

      (a) Mikhail Gorbachev

 

5. Which Christmas-hating beast lives on Mount Crumpit? (Just north of Whoville)

 

(a)     The Grinch

 

6. Name all the paranormal visitors that Scrooge receives in ‘A Christmas Carol’….

 

(a)     Marley’s Ghost, Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, Ghost of Christmas Future

 

7. Which of the following Christmas paraphernalia was invented by Sir Henry Cole?

 

(a)     Fairy lights

(b)     Christmas cards

(c)     Crackers

(d)     Mince pies

 

(a)     Christmas cards – b – he created the first commercial Christmas card in 1843.

 

8. Which British monarch was the first to broadcast a Christmas message to the nation? Bonus point if you can name the year.

 

(a)     George V (1932)

 

9. According to the Met Office, when was the UK’s last official ‘White Christmas’?

 

(a)     2004

 

10. In what country was tinsel invented in the 1600s?

 

(a)     Wales

(b)     Germany

(c)     Argentina

(d)     Spain

 

(a)     Germany – b

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Quiz

  

Well, it's almost time for the Mersey Basin Campaign to knock off for the Christmas break, but we haven't quite wound down yet. Last week, the Campaign hosted the annual Christmas quiz here at Ecohub North, as we like to think of our offices. Teams from MBC, Groundwork Northwest, Enworks, Sustrans, United Futures, CLES, Greater Manchester Environment Commission, Creative Concern to name just a few battled it out to find the trivia kings and queens amongst the Northwest's finest environmental minds, at our temporary festive home, the Treehugger's Arms pub.

We thought we'd post the quiz up here in case anyone else would like to challenge themselves - go on, it'll be something to do whilst you digest your Christmas dinner.......

Answers will appear here in the new year.

Quiz of the Year:

Round 1: 2008

1. Which film won the Oscar for Best Picture?

2. Barack Obama won the US presidential election in November, but he isn’t president yet. When is his inauguration?

3. How many GOLD medals did Great Britain win at the Olympics in Beijing?

4. 2008 was a very important year in some quarters. Which of the following was it the UN’s official year of?

a.       International Year of Dance

b.       International Year of Bees

c.       International Year of the Potato

d.       International Year of Knitting

5. In what month of 2008 did the price of oil hit $100 a barrel for the first time?

6. For the first time in 32 years, Fidel Castro isn’t President of Cuba. Who took over from him this year?

7. What device failed to destroy the earth, as predicted by some, in October?

8. Which soul legend who died this year won’t be making any more chocolate salty balls?

9. Which environmentally-themed space movie, made in 1971, was set in 2008?

10. On 1^st January 2008, the no.1 single was ‘When You Believe’, and the no.1 album was “Spirit” – but what connects the two?

Round 2: It was 40 years ago today – 1968

1. Which band were in the number one slot on 1^st January 1968? You get a bonus point if you can name the song…

2. This year, Lewis Hamilton became the first Briton to win the Formula One Drivers’ Championship since Damon Hill, but who won it in 1968?

3. Manchester United became the first English club to win the European club championship in May 1968, but which NATIONAL team became European champions the following month?

4. Who was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel?

5. What popular children’s toy, still available today, did Mattel launch in September 1968?

a)      Barbie

b)      Hot Wheels

c)      Viewmaster

6. Who became a father in February ’68, and made a famous musical comeback in December?

7. Kylie Minogue was born in 1968 – yes, she really did turn forty this year – but what was her first number one hit in the UK in 1987?

8. The movie ‘Blade Runner’ was based on a 1968 story by Philip K. Dick. What was the title of the story?

9. What was the average price of a British house in 1968?

10. Which moviestar, who died in 1968, said “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl?”

Round 3: The Eleven-Plus

1. Mary is 12 years old, and her father, Steve is 42.

a) How old was Mary’s father when he was four times as old as Mary?

b) In how many years will Steve be three times as old as Mary?

c) How old will Mary be when her Dad is 10 times as old as she was 6 years ago?

2. A factory employs 1044 people. One quarter of them cycle to work, and half travel by bus. Of the remainder, one third come by train, and the rest walk. How many employees walk to work?

3. If December 1^st falls on a Friday, on what day will Christmas Day fall that year?

4. Rewrite the following sentences, using only the correct word from each bracket:

a)      (Whose / Who’s) afraid of the big bad wolf?

b)      The dog can see (its / it’s) master when (its / it’s) standing by the gate.

5. The leader of a Guide Patrol is named Mary Jenkins; so her surname is Jenkins, her Christian name is Mary, and her initials are M.J. There are 6 other girls in her patrol; each has two initials.

Surnames: Brown, Smith, Evans, Clark, Jones

Christian names: Molly, Celia, Gwen, Ruth, Sally

Two girls have surnames and Christian names beginning with the same letter; two others are named Ruth. One of the twins has the same initials as the leader, and the other has the same Christian name as Evans.

Write down each girl’s full name.

1 point for each correct name.

Round 4: Merry Christmas everyone…..

1.Name 5 of Santa’s reindeers from “The Night Before Christmas

2. In the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ song, how many gifts are given in total?

3. In what year did Cliff Richard last have a Christmas Number 1?

4. Who resigned from their position of power on Christmas Day, 1991?

5. Which Christmas-hating beast lives on Mount Crumpit? (Just north of Whoville)

6. Name all the paranormal visitors that Scrooge receives in ‘A Christmas Carol’….

7. Which of the following Christmas paraphernalia was invented by Sir Henry Cole?

(a)     Fairy lights

(b)     Christmas cards

(c)     Crackers

(d)     Mince pies

8. Which British monarch was the first to broadcast a Christmas message to the nation? Bonus point if you can name the year.

9. According to the Met Office, when was the UK’s last official ‘White Christmas’?

10. In what country was tinsel invented in the 1600s?

(a)     Wales

(b)     Germany

(c)     Argentina

(d)     Spain

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.

MWH get stuck in to their Mersey Basin Week

Here's an article from Natural England's Sarah Warrener, about MWH volunteers helping out at Wybunbury Moss during MWH Mersey Basin Week:

"Fourteen managers from MWH, an international company connected to the water industry with offices throughout Britain, volunteered at Wybunbury Moss National Nature Reserve (NNR) as part of MWH Mersey Basin Week.

They cut down small trees and scrub that has invaded a flower-rich meadow purchased by Natural England last year. The meadow forms part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest at Wybunbury Moss which was, owing to years of neglect by its previous owner, in poor condition.  The work carried out is a vital contribution towards improving the condition of the meadow and enabling the plant community present there to survive.

The MWH managers, staff from the Mersey Basin Campaign and their Natural England staff supervisors worked hard and have cleared about a third of the scrub on the meadow.

Sarah Warrener,Natural England's site manager at Wybunbury Moss, explained that there are several different habitats at Wybunbury Moss NNR. If the trees and scrub remain untouched the bog, fen and meadow plants would be lost and the site would become a woodland.  This would also have a negative affect on the rare and unusual insects and other invertebrates that currently live on the site, for example the rare beetle Cryptocephalus decemmaculatus, that is found only at Wybunbury Moss and one other site in Britain."

 

Thanks to Sarah, Hannah and Tony from Natural England for hosting the day and to Andrew Cowell, Kath Hart and the rest of the MWH team for all their effort and support