On Monday 9th, September 2024, Pleck Meadow at Peel Park and the Coppice LNR had its 3rd annual cut! Annual cut & collects are an important part of wildflower meadow management as it reduces nutrients in the soil which overtime will ensure that vigourous grasses and invasive species do not become dominant. A wider variety […]
Pleck Meadow Grassland Condition Assessment 2024
Pleck Meadow received its third annual Grassland Condition Assessment on the 8th July, 2024. The results show that the “cut and collect” management is working as the grass sward and presence of negative indicator species has decreased significantly. Seed sowing and plug planting have also increased the number of species present on the meadow. Read […]
March 2024 Overview at Peel Park & the Coppice LNR
Spring has brought with it the usual perks, bees, flowers, and milder – albeit still very wet – weather! March is the final month before nesting season when we can remove scrub on the heathland, so we spent a lot of time bringing down colonising Silver Birch for the benefit of Heather, Bilberry, Crowberry, and […]
February 2024 Overview at Peel Park & the Coppice LNR
We have have been a lot busier on the Coppice this month thanks to the milder weather. During February half term, our very own TreeACTION project hosted a session on the site to plant a new Alder Buckthorn hedgerow to attract the Brimstone Butterfly. We also had help from the North Lancs Training Group hospitality […]
January 2024 Overview at Peel Park & the Coppice LNR
The Coppice was not as busy as usual this month with bank holidays and frozen weather slowing down work. Particularly the week of the 15th was very snowy and icy which lead to some sessions being cancelled due to safety concerns. We made up for it other sessions where we continued to clear scrub in […]
Habitat Boxes at Peel Park & the Coppice LNR
Lots of cosy new homes for birds & bats as well as comfy seats at Peel Park & the Coppice LNR! In autumn 2023, WOODY C.I.C. created and installed 30 bird boxes and 10 bat boxes across the site. A variety of different openings for the bird boxes were made so that they will benefit […]
Over 700 Trees Planted by the Community
This year’s National Tree Week (NTW) was celebrated by dedicated volunteers from across Hyndburn by helping to plant 720 trees at designated sites in Accrington and Oswaldtwistle. A series of four community tree planting sessions were held from Sunday 26th to Wednesday 29th November, facilitated by the PROSPECTS Foundation. In honour of the 50th anniversary […]
Peel Park Pollinator Survey Results 2023
Throughout the year, PROSPECTS has been carrying out pollinator surveys on Peel Park and the Coppice LNR. Measuring the abundance and distribution of species is vitally important for monitoring species health, climate change, and the effectiveness of conservation actions. Nationally, surveys provide data which allows climate scientists, conservationists, and insect experts to get a greater […]
Welcome to our new Outdoor Learning Officer
We are pleased to announce that Sonja Bottomer has joined the Prospects Team as our new Outdoor Learning Officer. The Outdoor Learning Project has come about as a result of an initiative funded and promoted by the Ernest Cook Trust, and supplemented by the Windfall Fund. Sonja’s role is all about educating people about the […]
Pleck Meadow 2023 Annual Cut
On Monday 11th, September 2023, Pleck Meadow at Peel Park and the Coppice LNR had its 2nd annual cut! Annual cut & rakes are an important part of wildflower meadow management as it reduce nutrients in the soil which overtime will ensure that vigourous grasses and invasive species do not overrun an area. A wider […]
Acorn Picking with Woodnook Primary School
Last week Woodnook Primary School’s Year 3s helped our Community TreeACTION Officer Helen collect acorns from their local Jubilee Woodland. The children were amazing at picking acorns; they gathered over 1,000! The group kept moving as to not over-pick one area, and any ‘duds’ (acorns that floated in water and therefore were not viable for […]
UKBMS Butterfly Surveys
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 […]
Wildfire 2023 – Peel Park and the Coppice LNR
After a lack of rain for several weeks, a wildfire started at Peel Park and the Coppice LNR on Wednesday 14th June. The fire spread NNW nearly 300m along the heathland at the top. The emergency service response was fast, and the firefighters quickly contained the fire and prevented its further spread. It took a […]
Dead Hedges and Brash Piles – Peel Park and the Coppice LNR
Dead hedges and brash piles are constructed using twigs, branches and other cut vegetation. They form an invaluable habitat for a plethora of species. Invertebrates like insects, woodlouse and arachnids will use the piles to live in and nest. Some important pollinators like solitary bees will use hollow twigs to create their nests. Small mammals […]
Invasive Non-Native Species – Japanese Knotweed – Peel Park and the Coppice LNR
Like many Invasive Non-native Species in the UK, Japanese Knotweed was introduced by Victorian botanists as an ornamental garden plant. Sometimes called “Japanese Bamboo,” due to the visual similarites of its stems, but it’s shield-shaped leaves and purple speckled stems give it a striking appearance. The small white flowers that it produces in summer are mostly […]
Hyndburn’s Woodlands NOW LIVE!
The PROSPECTS Foundation is pleased to announce that the ‘Hyndburn’s Woodlands’ website is now live! The website can be found here: https://hyndburnwoodlands.org.uk/ The website aims to be a resource to map, assess and manage the woodland cover in Hyndburn, with information including; condition assessments, timber volume surveys and Ash Dieback monitoring. The website will also […]
Cubs Community Project
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 […]
Pleck Meadow Path Opening with Mayor of Hyndburn, Cllr Abdul Khan!
On 17th March 2023, a year of planning and development finally came to fruition as the new path and bridge to Pleck Meadow were finally completed! Local schools and members of the public came for an opening walk and witnessed the Mayor of Hyndburn, Cllr Abdul Khan, perform a ribbon cutting on the new bridge […]
Family friendly self-led Easter Egg Trail in Woodnook Vale!
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 […]
Rewilding Update March 2023
The Rewilding Project continues into the Spring/Summer season with lots of hardwork and preperation going into the Commmunity Garden sites. The Rewilding Volunteers have been busy on GrOwING Wild Community Garden, Baxenden cutting back bramble from the pathways and stairs to aid access on the site. Woodnook Community Garden has seen extensive brash clearing with […]