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Newsletter
Spring 2012
Welcome to the February newsletter for Friends and
supporters of the Park. It’s been a while since the
last newsletter, rather too long but we haven’t been
sitting on our hands and the day to day maintenance goes
on.
Our
financial and maintenance year starts on the 1st
April so we have just finished drawing up plans for the
next year. As always our main concern is financial and
how we are going to pay for the park for the next 12
months. The current year looks like returning a deficit
of around £37,000 and we are trying to cut this to
£30,000 over the next 12 months once exceptional items
are taken out.
One
of our aims for the coming year is to build a new
facilities building for the Walled Orchard. We would
like to hold more events here but currently there is no
electricity or toilet facility on site which means
hiring them in at about £1,000 a time. The building
would provide both toilets and a food preparation area
and be constructed in the maintenance depot with doors
through the wall so it can be accessed from the Walled
Orchard. Planning permission is currently awaited but
once this is through we hope to start work and have the
building ready for the Cuerden Fair on 19th
May. Most of the construction work will be undertaken
by volunteers so if you have any building skills and a
few days free we would love to hear from you.
Constructing the building is only part of the work
though. Getting power to the site and disposing of the
waste water may turn out to be the bigger part of the
job.
Current work in the Park
As
usual at this time of year we are busy with tree works.
Earlier in the year we had our regular inspection of
mature trees near to footpaths, property and roads. A
number of the older trees were found to be in declining
health and DR tree surgeons were engaged to cut back or
fell trees where necessary. The minimum works are
usually carried out and a standing stump is left where
possible. Once most of the branch work is removed the
sail area left to catch the wind is vastly reduced and
even a quite rotten trunk will stand for years. These
provide great feeding sites for woodpeckers and as they
slowly decay nesting holes for a wide variety of birds
as well as bats.
Coppicing work has taken place along the main footpath
to Wigan Road car park near Cock Cabin Wood. We cut
back areas along this footpath on a regular cycle to
stop the trees becoming too big and shading the
footpath. This provides a woodland edge habitat which
is ideal for butterflies particularly the Speckled Wood
that is provided we also get some sunshine in the summer
to encourage them onto the wing.
Coppicing of Alder has taken place near Hawkesclough.
This alder was last coppiced about 25 years ago and
again will provide good butterfly habitat. The timber
will end up in one of our charcoal kilns later in the
year and be sold as barbeque charcoal through the
visitor centre.
We
had hoped to finish the felling work behind the lake
this winter that was started last year. A number of the
larch are showing signs of rot at the base of the trunk
as they are not really suited to the wet ground around
the lake. Therefore it was decided to remove a number
of the larch before they became unsafe and replace them
with a more suitable species. Unfortunately due to
problems with Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum) in larch
trees there is currently a ban on felling larch during
the winter in certain areas of the country. There is
further information on P. ramorum later in the
newsletter.
There were a couple of other areas where we were also
due to fell Larch this winter. The woodland just to the
south of the lake was due to have an area removed and
replanted with mainly oak and ash. The larch just
across the river from Town Brow car park was also due
for a thin. This work will probably now take place
during the late summer after the birds have finished
nesting. It does however make life difficult, during
the winter there are limited jobs that the staff and
volunteers can do other than tree work whilst in the
summer they are already busy with grass cutting, events
and dealing with the increased visitor numbers (they
also have a nasty habit of wanting some holiday!) Larch
is also a deciduous conifer and so has needles on in the
summer which makes the brash and timber heavier to move
than it would have in the been in the winter.
As
usual all this woodland work is partly funded by the
Forestry Commission through their English Woodland Grant
Scheme.
We
have been working with Lancashire County Council to
provide a new cycleway to link the Park to Buckshaw
Village. The work was paid for by the developers at
Buckshaw and undertaken by the Council. The link runs
from the site of Lower Kem Mill to Dawson Lane where it
meets up with the present cycle network at Buckshaw.
Upcoming work
One
of the more interesting tasks to this summer is to raise
the reservoir embankment along part of its length. For
those of you that aren’t aware the main lake is
officially a reservoir although it does not provide
drinking water and is covered by the 1975 Reservoirs
Act. This means an Inspecting Engineer has to visit the
site every 10 years and a Supervising Engineer twice
every year. At the last visit by the Inspecting
Engineer he asked for an updated Flood Study to be
produced. This has unfortunately shown under the new
criteria that the dam is too low by 25cm over about half
its length. The exact works have still to be agreed but
are expected to be remove the turf and add 25 cm of soil
within the nature area length and place kerb stones or
timber along the crest of the dam in the public area
where it is too difficult to raise the whole of the
embankment.
As
well as building the facilities block for the Walled
Orchard we will be undertaking other works to improve
the site for events. The main task is improved
drainage. Some new drainage was installed about 7 years
ago when the orchard was replanted but this was quite
deep at 60cm down and whilst it works it does not keep
the turf as dry as we would like particularly during the
last couple of Lancashire summers. A secondary drainage
system within the top 20cm will be added. The brick
pathway will be replaced and the pergola that used to
run from the entrance to the gazebo will also be
restored.
Jim Longbottom, Park Manager
Wildlife
We have had a topsy turvey year due to a late spring and
autumn hanging on until January 1st.
Highlights have been the finding of White Letter
Hairstreak butterfly eggs near Town Brow, The noting of
Purple Hairstreak butterfly near the Walled Orchard by
Jim the manager and regular sightings of the roe deer in
the field by the wooden bridge. They have been so
confiding, one of them brushed nuzzles with a dog on the
other side of the fence. Mike, one of our rangers also
had the pleasure of spotting a water vole in the south
of the Park. Whilst mentioning mammals, we plan to set
up a small mammal monitoring site here this summer and
the newly formed Dragonfly group will be coming to
marvel at our Banded Demoiselle population.
David Beattie
Events
Where the Highest Mountains Touch the Sky
9
March, 7.30pm
An
audio visual presentation, with stunning photographs of
the Himalayas, by the late
Stanley Jeeves, the official photographer of the 1954
Daily Mail expedition to find the yeti.
Presented by his daughter Miss Susan Jeeves and Susan
Keady
At
the Barn Visitor Centre, Berkeley Drive, Off Shady Lane,
Bamber Bridge. PR5 6BY
Tickets 7.50 (Friends of Cuerden Valley Park £7.00)
Farmers’ Markets:
26
Feb, 25 March, 22 April, 24 June, 22 July,
26
Aug, 23 Sept, 28 Oct, 25 Nov, 16 Dec.
10
am – 2 pm. A variety of locally produced fine foods,
crafts
and
plant stalls in and around the Barn on Berkeley Drive.
Every fourth Sunday of the month except May
Dog Show
29
April
10
am – 4 pm on the lawn by Cuerden Hall
Which dog will win the prize for the waggiest tail?
Could you win
the
bone and spoon race? Bring your dog for a fun day
out
on The Park. Family ticket £5. Adults £2, children £1,
dogs free.
Cuerden Valley Summer Fair
19 May
A
great day out for all the family, with lots of things to
do,
Including birds of prey demonstrations, live music,
children’s activities, craft fair etc.
Badger 10K Runs:
7
June, 5 July, 2 August
7.30 pm Popular runs within the boundaries of
Cuerden Valley Park with prizes for a variety of
classes.
Entry £6 attached / £7 unattached on the night.
For
pre-entry please go to
www.ukresults.net
Enter all three races for the discounted price
of
£16.50 attached / £19.50 unattached.
Beer Festival
15 –17 June
Three days of fun. Entry includes a commemorative glass
with
over 40 real ales and lagers. Hot food and live
entertainment
in
the evenings
Jazz & Folk Festival
7&8
July
Come along to the Orchard for some musical goings on.
A
day of Jazz followed by a day of Folk.
With a variety of acts on both days.
Cider Festival
10
-11 August
Our
orchard is the fitting setting for our first ever Cider
Festival.
Two
days dedicated to popular apple and pear brews with
musical entertainment.
In
addition there are health walks every week either from
the Barn or Clayton Green Sports Centre and talks by
various speakers on the flora and fauna within the Park
in the evenings and at weekends.
More information on all the above and other events can
be found on the web site
www.cuerdenvalleypark.org.uk
Lesley Cryer, Development & Fundraising
Watch Club
We continue to have a very busy programme which can
always be seen on the website. The significant things
that have happened recently are two of the older members
have now become Junior Leaders under the supervision of
the RSPB. I am trying to ensure the group continues for
several years to come. Recent activities have included
felt making; 10 year celebration; more balsam bashing;
catching small mammals in humane traps and of course
then letting them go; Big Garden Birdwatch and my
receiving a special badge for 20 years volunteering for
the RSPB. In March this year we plan to dig up some
buckets we had buried, filled with woodchip. These were
put in the ground in Sept 2010 and we hope to catch a
variety of bugs when we dig them up
David Beattie, Watch Leader
Friends
The
Friends have opened a teashop in the Barn on Sundays
from 11.00am till 3.30pm. Hot and cold drinks are
available along with cakes and toasted teacakes. The
opening of the Visitor Centre also means that the public
have access to the toilet facilities in the Barn and the
Friends can provide information to visitors to the
Park. The long term aim is to also open on a Saturday
provided enough volunteers can be found.
The
successful Farmers Market continues although with a
change of organiser. Pat Ryan who set the market up has
now stepped down to be replaced by Susan Marsden. Our
thanks go to Pat for all the work he put in. We have
had a few problems over the winter with the market due
to the high winds damaging marquees and gazebos. In
each case the volunteers and stall holders have rallied
round to make sure the market continued albeit on a
smaller scale.
Volunteers
This year is going to be very busy with all the extra
events we are looking to run as well as trying to keep
up with both day to day maintenance and some of the
larger maintenance tasks required. As always our
ability to do this relies heavily on volunteers to make
it happen and we could always do with more help.
We
need help with our event programme, putting up marquees
and gazebos before events and taking them down
afterwards, helping on the gate and numerous other jobs
during the event such as helping with car parking or
behind the bar at the Beer Festival.
As
mentioned elsewhere the Friends are now running a tea
shop in the Barn on Sundays and the current volunteers
would welcome a few extra hands. If enough people come
forward we would like to open on a Saturday as well. We
are also looking for help with the education programme.
Schools visit most Mondays and Thursdays during term
time from March through to October for programmes
related to the National Curriculum. We also run 4
blocks of a week of our Victorian programme during the
year so if you’ve ever fancied dressing up as a
Victorian woodsman or scullery maid let us know.
Volunteers involved in the education programme will have
to undergo a CRB check.
On
the practical side we are also looking for volunteers to
work with the rangers during the week with the day to
day maintenance. We are limited with the number of
volunteers partly due to the amount of space in the
Landrovers but there are currently a few spaces
available. It is however an early start, we work from
8am till 4pm with a short break for lunch.
If
you are interested in helping with any of the above
please contact Mike Tattersall, Volunteer Co-ordinator
on 01772 324436 or email
rangers@cuerdenvalleypark.org.uk
Education
Winter is a quiet time from an education perspective –
schools stop coming on trips around the end of October
and restart in March. This is mainly due to the
unpredictable weather! The term until Easter is now
fully booked though which is promising. There are lots
of schools wishing to participate in river studies
programme this term, thankfully I now have the rangers
fully trained for when my main volunteer – David Beattie
– is unavailable. This is not ideal however so if you
or someone you know would be interested in helping out
with school trips please get in touch. No specialist
knowledge or experience is necessary and we do have a
lot of fun!
We
are really excited to be launching a competition for
local school children this February to win a trip for
their whole class to the park. Children are being asked
to handwrite a short piece. It can be non-fiction, a
poem or a short story but has to be about the park!
Closing date is 11th May with winners to be
announced at the fair on May 19th. Posters
will be going up soon so keep your eyes peeled!
This half term the open children’s activity was an Earth
Walk. A damp, drizzly, cold morning saw just 7 children
and parents turn up but we persevered and had a good
time. We explored the Pinetum using as many senses
possible, spotting lots of wildlife and animal homes
along the way! The morning finished with an
orienteering challenge so everyone could have a run
around and warm up. Monday 2nd April will be
the next holiday activity, Easter Fun, here on the
park! There will be lots of games, crafts and
activities on offer for children of all ages. Last year
the weather was glorious and we spent the morning
basking in the sun, fingers crossed for this year!
Artwork from year 6 at Clayton-Le-Woods Primary School
is now displayed in the Barn. Exciting and inspiring
pictures of the park created by pupils can be seen from
9am – 5pm weekdays and Sundays 11 – 3pm when the Barn
teashop is open – please pop along and support the park,
we serve hot and cold drinks as well as cakes and light
snacks!
Ruth Abraham, Education Officer
Phytophthora ramorum
Phytophthora ramorum is a fungus like pathogen of plants
that is causing extensive damage to trees and other
plants in parts of the UK. It has also been found in a
number of other European countries but mostly on plants
and shrubs especially rhododendron, viburnum and
camellia. It has caused extensive damage to tanoaks in
parts of the USA where it has been given the name
“sudden oak death”
Very few trees in the UK were affected until 2009 then
P. ramorum was found infecting and killing large numbers
of Japanese larch trees in south west England and has
since been found on trees in Wales, Lancashire and
Cumbria. This was the first time in the world that P.
ramorum had infected and reproduced on large numbers of
a commercially important conifer tree species. It
spreads by means of spores and thrives best in a moist
mild climate and outbreaks so far have been mainly in
the west of the country.
When out breaks are discovered the Forestry Commission
are requiring all the Larch with a certain area to be
felled to remove the living tissue on which the pathogen
lives and sporulates. Timber from infected larch can be
taken under licence to authorised processing
facilities. There is no evidence of spread from sawn
timber.
In
order to understand and prevent further spread of the
pathogen winter felling of larch in certain areas has
been banned as it is difficult to detect affected trees
during the winter. The trees have to be inspected by
the Forestry Authority when in leaf before felling to
check for the pathogen.
Whilst P. ramorum has killed millions of native American
oaks and tanoaks Britain’s two native species of oak,
sessile and pendunculate oak have been demonstrated in
laboratory tests to be more resistant to P. ramorum than
their American cousins. If you are interested in
finding out more about P. ramorum the Forestry
Commission website is a good place to start. Failing
that there’s always Wikipedia !!!
February 2012 |
