Brookside

Staff and Volunteers Gather to Create Vision for Brookside

Every good master plan needs a vision, and we turned to our volunteers for their vision for Brookside!

All six project partners worked together with the Brookside volunteers to workshop a vision. After an intense brainstorming session, participants voted on their favourite, before synergising the top ideas to create a working statement:

"A living model of nature recovery, community wellbeing, and a resilient future"

What do you think?

A big thank you to our funders for making this possible!

This work is possible due to funding from the Windfall Fund, the National Lottery Climate Action Fund,  and Hyndburn Borough Council.

Two Brookside Volunteers Sucessfully Pass LANTRA Awards

Two Brookside Volunteers Pass LANTRA Award

A round of applause for Brookside volunteers Graeme and Gordon, who both passed their LANTRA Strimmers and Brushcutters assessments last week. Now qualified, they will be able to put their skills to use at Brookside this summer!

A big thank you to our funders for making this possible!

This work is possible due to funding from the Windfall Fund, the National Lottery Climate Action Fund,  and Hyndburn Borough Council.

The Brookside Restoration Spring Newsletter is Out!

Brookside Restoration Spring Newsletter is Out!

The latest edition of the quarterly Brookside Restoration is out! This issue crowns our latest star of the season, gives an exciting round-up of all that has happened over Winter, and gives you a first look at the plans for Spring 2025. If you didn't get a copy by email, you can sign up HERE.

Keep an eye out for these species at Brookside!
Congratulations Graeme!
Our newest dead hedge, hand built byt the Thursday Gang!

A big thank you to our funders for making this possible!

This work is possible due to funding from the Windfall Fund, the National Lottery Climate Action Fund,  and Hyndburn Borough Council.

Brookside’s Thursday Gang Unearth Hidden Paths and Farm Foundations Under 20 Years of Turf

Brookside's Thursday Gang Unearth Hidden Paths and Bury Meadow Farm Foundations

The Brookside volunteer group (colloquially known as the Thursday Gang in Ossy) have been hard at work restoring the old paths around the site. These were installed in the early 2000s but have since degraded until they were almost hidden. Armed only with spades and rakes, the gang have completely transformed the access around the Eastern Lodge. What's more, they have unearthed a 14m x 14m hard standing on the Southern end of the site - which was the site of the original Bury Meadow farm.

The gang have plenty of ideas for the hard standing, and we look forward to hosting a wide range of events here in Summer. Well done team!

Finally complete! A whopping 14m by 14m
Mature roots were no match for the volunteers' determination
Can you believe this was hiding under the grass?!

A big thank you to our funders for making this possible!

This work is possible due to funding from the Windfall Fund, the National Lottery Climate Action Fund,  and Hyndburn Borough Council.

Citizens gather for the first of our Climate Action & Me events!

Citizens Gather For Climate Workshop

Concerned citizens from across East Lancashire gathered in Oswaldtwistle last Thursday evening for a workshop all about climate change and how the local community can take action. Councillor Mike Booth, Mayor of Hyndburn, attended the event.

The evening began with a talk about the science behind climate change, before moving into several interactive activities, all of which highlighted the power of small-scale changes to reduce carbon emissions. From swapping imported goods for local produce, to starting climate conversations, to reducing our air miles, we can all do our bit in the fight against climate change. 

It’s easy to feel powerless against such a colossal problem, but climate action starts at the local scale.  By bringing people together, PROSPECTS hope to break down barriers and encourage small, everyday changes that, when combined, make a tremendous impact.

In a more hopeful tone, we highlighted several inspiring success stories where proactive citizens have already started making a difference. From bike libraries to community energy groups, it is clear that there is a strong desire for climate action across Lancashire.

As the effects of rising global temperatures become more evident, the urgency for climate action intensifies. Currently, the world is on track to experience a 3°C rise in temperatures above pre-industrial levels, which will have far-reaching consequences for humanity.

Looking ahead, we plan to host additional Climate Action events throughout Hyndburn. Details of these future events can be found on the PROSPECTS Foundation website.

Starting off with a talk about the science of climate change
Participants were asked to record what climate acions they were already taking
Particiants taking part in an interactive activity
Our zero waste refills shop was available on the night

A big thank you to our funders for making this possible!

This work is possible due to funding from the Windfall Fund, the National Lottery Climate Action Fund,  and Hyndburn Borough Council.

Climate Action & Me – A Community Workshop

Concerned about climate change?

Join the PROSPECTS Foundation for a free, interactive workshop all about climate action. We will be busting common climate change myths, giving out top tips for having climate conversations, and discussing the very best ways that we can ALL take action.

Get your free tickets here: TICKETS

2024 Volunteer Christmas Celebration!

Celebrating the festive season and our volunteers!

On Tuesday 17th December, PROSPECTS held a volunteer celebration at Accrington Cricket Club. Any volunteers who helped out in 2024 were welcome to attend.

We celebrated with sausage rolls, chocolate, and mince pies! (All with vegan options available)

Our Outdoor Learning Officer Sonja worked hard to construct a PROSPECTS quiz for everyone to take part in. Our Brookside Restoration Officer Alice was our quizmaster, she got everyone involved and working together to figure out the tricky questions such as locating where snowy photos of Hyndburn were taken and estimating volunteer sessions statistics like “how many trees were planted in 2024?” (it was 4487!)

Thank you again to all the hard work our volunteers put in to improve our local green spaces and promote sustainability across Hyndburn, you inspire us everyday.

Here’s to another year of environmental action!

Volunteers also got free brews at the bar.
Our Treasurer getting in the festive spirit!
Quiz!
Our Volunteers at the bar!
Digging into the buffet!

Wreathing Making Mastery in Stanhill

Our first wreath making session of 2024 was a huge sucess, with 20 people creating beautiful wreaths from all natural materials. A big thank you to the Stanhill Methodist Church for use of their lovely hall, and to all who donated to the Brookside Restoration. We are delighted to annouce that we raised £53!

 

A warm welcome to our new team member, Alice!

We’re pleased to announce that Alice Pooley has joined the PROSPECTS team as our new Brookside Development Officer!

Following the purchase of the 87-acre Brookside site in Stanhill Village, Oswaldtwistle (also known as Bury Meadows), Hyndburn Borough Council has partnered with the PROSPECTS Foundation, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Stanhill Village Community Association, the Ribble Rivers Trust and Proffitts CIC to transform the space into a beacon of biodiversity, habitat recovery, carbon capture and tangible climate action.

Alice will be managing the development phase of the project, which is set to run for the next 18 months and is funded by the National Lottery Climate Action Fund and the Windfall Fund. Each of the partners has a crucial role to play in this exciting project, but there will also be a strong volunteer component, so keep your eyes peeled for new and exciting volunteer opportunities coming soon!

To find out more about the project, contact alice.pooley@prospectsfoundation.org.uk or call 01254 230348.

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