Sunday’s Worsley Wood Event

Event: Final event in Greater Manchester’s Walk in the Woods will allow people to learn all about their local nature reserve.

Date/Time: Sunday, May 15, 2005 11am – 12noon.

Meet: Worsley Woods, Beesley Green.

Contact: Jo Regan at Salford City Council for more information on 0161 607 1759.

Red Rose Forest, Greater Manchester’s Community Forest and Salford City Council are sowing the seeds of two great ideas this weekend, when they invite people down to Worsley Woods and The Cliff.

Saturday’s event will be taking place at The Cliff at 2pm and everyone’s been invited to come down to find about the diversity of creatures that can been found in their local woodland.

And on Sunday enjoy a leisurely stroll through Worsley Woods as part of the final Walk in the Woods event in Greater Manchester. The Walk in the Woods has been organised by the Tree Council and is sponsored by Center Parcs and has been running throughout May. It aims to encourage everyone to enjoy the magic of trees and woods. In Greater Manchester, hundreds of people have already taken part in the walks all over Red Rose Forest.

The Worsley Wood walk will allow members of the public to learn more about the fantastic new proposal to make the woods a Local Nature Reserve.
But if you can’t make it to this excellent event, don’t worry as you’ve still got the chance to take part in the Bollin Valley’s superb Walk in the Woods 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 throughout May.

Bollin Valley Partnership is asking people to document bluebells in their local wood using photos and descriptions and the best entry will win a prize.
With a 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.
Please note that the closing date for the new competition is Friday, June 10.

For information about the Bluebell competition please contact Mrs Andy Collins at Bollin Valley on 01625 534790.

The Tree Council’s Walk in the Woods Greater Manchester campaign 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. There have been a number of events in each borough of Red Rose Forest:

In Manchester, residents were treated to a scenic riverside walk along the Mersey also took in Kenworthy Woods and part of the Transpennine trail. Last Sunday, the Heaton Park Wardens took walkers on a walk around the part. Starting at the newly refurbished Farm Centre everyone had the chance to walk around the park and had .

In Bury, there was a really good turn out for the gentle stroll around Mere Clough and Mid Wood, looking at the woodland wildflowers of the Philips Park Local Nature Reserve. And Chesham Local Nature Reserve Open Day saw people enjoy a fun filled day of woodland crafts and activities, face painting, refreshments, pond dipping and guided walks.

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