RED ROSE FOREST PRESS RELEASE
Red Rose Forest and Bollin Valley launch Bluebell SOS Competition!

Red Rose Forest, Greater Manchester’s Community Forest, and the Bollin Valley partnership are looking for plant spotters to help track down one of Britain’s rarest native wildflowers.
Bollin Valley partnership are asking people to document bluebells in their local wood using photos and descriptions, with the best entry set to win a prize.
With a scientific report out this week showing almost a fifth of Britain’s plant species are struggling to survive the threats posed by overgrazing and the use of fertilisers, there is now no better opportunity to get out into your local woods and record native bluebells.
Many people are unsure how to tell the difference between a native bluebell and a Spanish bluebell but placed side by side, the differences between the English wild bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) and the Spanish garden variety (Hyacinthoides hispanica) are very obvious. The English native has darker, slimmer, less erect leaves. Its flowers are also a darker blue, lightly scented and are carried on a one-sided hood (raceme) that bends over at the top, while the Spanish variety is a paler blue, stouter, unscented and erect, with flowers carried all around the stem.
This competition is part of the Tree Council’s Walk in the Woods Greater Manchester campaign, which is being coordinated by Red Rose Forest’s Community Network. The network is made up of over 100 voluntary and local government organisations, who are all working hard to improve Greater Manchester’s environment. And the Walk in the Woods Tree Council campaign, sponsored by Center Parcs, aims to encourage everyone, to enjoy the magic of trees and woods.

Please note that the closing date for this event is Friday, June 10.
For information about the Bluebell competition please contact Mrs Andy Collins at Bollin Valley on 01625 534790. For more information about walk in the woods please visit www.treecouncil.org.uk/projects/wiw.htm

Notes to Editors:
Red Rose Forest is Greater Manchester’s Community Forest. It is a partnership of the Countryside Agency, The Forestry Commission and six local authorities including Bury Metropolitan Borough Council. Red Rose Forest is already transforming and regenerating a large part of Greater Manchester, with 25 million trees across 300 square miles being planted over 40 years.

ENDS