Green Spaces ‘Natural Connections’

The United Kingdom Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) is one of the longest running insect monitoring schemes in the world. Starting in 1976, the scheme is one of the most important resources for understanding changes in insect populations.

As part of this, Chloe from the Green Spaces team has been leading weekly transects around Peel Park and the Coppice LNR in Accrington since June 2022. This involves taking people on a gentle 2km stroll around the site, recording each butterfly that can be seen flying between the months of April and September. The species and numbers recorded varied week to week, with one transect reaching numbers of 345!

The species recorded include:

• Small & Large Skippers
• Small & Large Whites
• Orange-tip
• Green Veined White
• Small Copper
• Red Admiral
• Peacock
• Comma
• Painted Lady
• Small Tortoiseshell
• Brimstone
• Small Heath
• Gatekeeper
• Meadow Brown
• Speckled Wood
• Ringlet

The Green Spaces Team linked up with the 109 Loyola Scout Group, Oswaldtwistle on the 18th February for some conservation management work. Sixteen Cubs, Beavers and Scouts along with the help of some of the leaders all came along to Spout House Community Woodland in Huncoat to help remove guards from the trees that were planted in 2011.

Members of staff cut the guards ahead of the youngsters, making it safe and easy for the guards to be removed and stacked - they did such a good job that it was almost impossible to keep up with them! Hundreds of tree guards were removed during the 2 hour session, which will be collected at a later date so that they can be recycled.

The children also put their detective hats on and took part in a winter woodland tree identification activity. This had the youngsters running through the woods looking at buds and twigs to try and identify native trees (which can be tricky when they don't have leaves).

Not only did participants learn about environmental conservation and sustainability, it allowed the Cubs, Beavers and Scouts to earn badges such as the 'World Challenge' badge, the 'Naturalist' badge and 'Community Impact' badge.

Thank you to all involved for your hard work!

The Green Spaces Team have created a family-friendly Easter Egg Trail that is now up in Woodnook Vale for the Easter Holidays!

Follow the map below to find all 9 hidden letters, and unscramble them to unlock a spring-themed word! Follow THIS LINK to submit your word and be entered into a PRIZE DRAW!

Contact Chloe for more info chloe.jameson@prospectsfoundation.org.uk

The Green Spaces Team are hosting four tree planting sessions across Hyndburn this March!

See below for dates, times and meeting points.

Contact Helen for more info helen.earnshaw@prospectsfoundation.org.uk

On the 21st February the Green Team Volunteers were at Woodnook Vale conducting some site maintenance and biodiversity improvements.

There was a large amount of brash left over from the recent felling works at Woodnook, this work was issued due to the presence of Ash trees suffering from Ash dieback disease.

This disease weakens Ash trees and causes them to become more susceptible to other diseases/fungi which eventually weaken the tree to the point it could fall and shatter, which would be hazardous to pedestrians.

The work left behind a lot of branches which the Green Team volunteers collected and arranged into habitat piles for local biodiversity. These piles provide good nesting opportunities for insects, small mammals and birds. Due to the presence of invertebrates in the piles they also offer good foraging opportunities for other animals too!

We also cleaned up some of the signage and notice boards along the vale, and managed to get the jubilee diamond sculpture looking sparkling again!

Thank you to all our volunteers for their hard work and continued support, we couldn't do this without you.

As always, thank you to the Green Recovery Challenge Fund and National Lottery Heritage Fund for supporting the work we do!

On the 8th February Prospects again asked for Paul Shoreman to come in and provide us with some training for staff and volunteers. This time, Paul was teaching us how to lead a guided walk.

This involved learning about the different types of access and the legality of routes, how to plan and prepare for leading a walk, what things could go wrong and how you can plan to avoid these etc. This was then followed by a practical session at Woodnook Vale where participants took turns 'leading' the walk.

The training was really insightful and hopefully will give some of the attendees the confidence to attend/lead walks with others.

Thank you to Paul for providing the training, and to everyone who attended and made it a great day!

Also we would like to thank our funders Green Recovery Challenge Fund and National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this all possible!

On the 7th February the Green Team Volunteers were at Hollins Woods giving the area some much needed care.

Using safety gauntlets, goggles, wire cutters and builders bags we safely removed barbed wire from a derelict fence. Some of the fences had been uprooted which had left loose barbed wire along the floor, which was a hazard for people, dogs and wildlife.

Once the wire had been removed from the fence it was coiled and bagged up to be sent off for recycling.

Well done to everyone who attended and a special thank you for your hard work, the feedback we got for this activity was amazing!

As always, thank you to our funders Green Recovery Challenge Fund and National Lottery Heritage Fund for supporting and funding this kind of work.

On the 1st February the Green Spaces Team organised for Paul Shoreman to provide free training for Prospects staff and volunteers. Paul is a ranger at Lancashire County Council who manages around 85 sites across Lancashire.

The training involved learning the features of a compass, how to read contour lines on a map, and how to use a compass to calculate a bearing. This was followed by a practical session at Woodnook Vale putting the theory in practice.

Everyone had a great day and learnt some valuable navigation skills which are applicable to a wide range of situations.

We would like to thank Paul Shoreman for taking the time to teach us these important skills, and to everyone who attended and made it a great day!

As always, we would like to thank our funders Green Recovery Challenge Fund and National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this all possible.

Throughout the festive period, the Green Spaces put on some free wreath making sessions as a way for people to learn a new skill, collaborate with local organisations and provide a warm, welcoming environment for people to enjoy. We used fresh foliage sourced from Hyndburn's woodlands, local florists and garden centres to allow people to create their own unique pieces.

We joined forces with local floral-enthusiasts, the Meadow Sisters on Saturday 10th December 2022. Despite the snow, people flocked to the Market Hall in Accrington to create their very own wreath - either as a festive decoration or for a loved-ones grave. Over thirty people participated in the workshop, either as individuals or with friends and families, and many agreed that it was a "fantastic workshop". Other feedback includes "Brilliant staff. Really made me feel comfortable – I suffer from anxiety and social phobia. Really helped with my wellbeing, feel more confident and happy today." and "Fantastic. Very therapeutic. Lovely ladies helped me to achieve an amazing wreath." 

The following session was held at the Trinity Church, Accrington on Monday 13th December 2022. This was another hugely successful workshop, with 10+ attendees. Participants had the opportunity to also weave their own base using willow, adding to the uniqueness and creativity of the wreaths. One of the churchgoers even turned theirs into a beautiful table centrepiece.

Thanks to our Green Mentor, Joel, the students of St. Christopher's 'Eco Club' also had the opportunity to decorate their own wreath, which led to an array of weird and wonderful creations!

Thank you to the Meadow Sisters, Trinity Church and St. Christopher's for making these events possible and thank you to everyone who attended!

Between the 11-12th November the Green Spaces Team participated in a dry stone walling course led by Louise Kirkbridge, the course took place in Hollins woods on a section of drystone wall that had fell into disrepair. The wall was first dismantled down to the foundations and the stones laid out according to size, guide lines were created to ensure the original width of the wall was kept. Instructions and demonstrations were then given by Louise on how to safely lay stones to create a solid structure. After two days of walling the section we worked on had been fully re-erected, looked more aesthetically pleasing, and was a lot more stable.

We would like to thank Louise Kirkbridge for providing the excellent training programme, it was an amazing two days and we all learnt a lot about a valuable skill that is part of the cultural landscape.

We would also like to thank our funders at GreenRecoveryChallengeFund and National Lottery Heritage Fund for providing the means for Prospects to host events like these.

On the 21st September Prospects' staff and the Green Team Volunteers took part in a scything course delivered by Steve Tomlin.

During the course, participants were taught about all the different components of a scythe, how to hone the blade with a whetstone and how to correctly set them up for an efficient cut. Once the scythes were set up the participants headed to Milnshaw park for a demonstration on traditional scything techniques and then gave it a go themselves. The participants worked in rows scything the wildflower meadow to promote new growth while some of Prospects staff raked away the cuttings.

The course was fantastic and everyone learnt a lot about traditional scything skills that has benefited the green spaces around Hyndburn, where it has been applied in plenty.

Prospects would like to thank everyone who came along to the session, and to Steve Tomlin for delivering such a well structured course. We would also like to thank our funders at GreenRecoveryChallengeFund and National Lottery Heritage Fund for providing us with the necessary resources to organise this event.