Hyndburn’s Woodlands – Phase 2

On Tuesday 17th December the Hyndburn’s Woodlands Volunteers were back at Whinney Hill woodland! This week, we found a new ‘treasure trove’ of fly-tipping that was previously unknown to us.

Throughout the session, we removed bags of old clothes, building waste, settee cushions, fencing mesh, and plenty of garden waste

Overall, we removed well over 20 bags of rubbish and fly-tipping from the site. The area is now looking a lot cleaner but work remains to keep the area tidy.

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who give their time to help keep Hyndburn’s Woodlands clean from rubbish!

As always, thank you to our funders at Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Fund for making this all possible.

On Saturday 13th October, Hyndburn’s Woodlands Officer Brandon Cherry and Irene, of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, held a fungi walk at Whinney Hill woodland! (Livingstone Road)

The walk was very well attended, with 21 people turning out for the walk! Irene, a professional mycologist, strolled through the woods while attendees scouted for fungi. The attendees found an abundance of fungi which Irene identified and discussed.

The weather, unfortunately, only held for an hour for us after which a downpour occurred and forced an early finish!

Thank you to Irene for leading the session and for sharing her bountiful knowledge! Thank you also to those that attended the walk and made it a lovely afternoon

As always, thank you to our funders for making it all possible

Funding provided by Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Fund.

On Tuesday 8th October the Hyndburn’s Woodlands Volunteers were back at Whinney Hill carrying out some maintenance jobs in the area.

Initially, we re-established the information board that had been torn down a few months prior. The information board can now be used to publicize events for the local area.

We then used scythes to clear back the verges on the Livingstone road entrance to the site to open it up more and improve visibility, as well as making the area look tidier. Hand tools like loppers and bow saws were then used to cut back vegetation overhanging on the fence.

Finally a litter pick was carried out along the entrance to help keen the area clean and tidy, we unfortunately did find quite a lot of litter this time!

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who help us carry out this important work

As always, thank you to our funders at Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Grant.

On Tuesday 26th March the Hyndburn’s Woodlands Volunteers were back at Whinney Hill woodland carrying out some INNS (Invasive Non-Native Species) management, in the form of removing Small-leaved Cotoneaster which had likely escaped from one of the neighboring allotments.

Small-leaved Cotoneaster can be quite tricky to remove, it needs to be dug out with the roots which can be quite extensive and sturdy. Volunteers used loppers and bows to first clear all of the above ground vegetation, which was followed by using spades to dig out the root ball in its entirety.

Afterwards, the collection of litter that had been picked over the course of many sessions was moved to a location for removal.

Activity funded by Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Fund.

On Sunday 3rd March 2024 the Hyndburn’s Woodlands Volunteers teamed up with the TreeACTION Project to plant a 60 metre long hedgerow bordering between the Whinney Hill entrance ginnel and the Cricket Club.

We planted a Hawthorn hedgerow to act as a barrier for the cricket club, while providing winter forage for birds and small mammals. The hedgerow will be maintained in the future years to continually promote its growth.

In future years, the hedgerow will offer an opportunity for a hedge-laying activity.

Thank you to our volunteers for helping us improve local biodiversity and site security.

Activity funded by Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Fund.