I’m writing this after a day in Borrowdale Valley which is not only a National Nature Reserve (NNR) and a Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI) but now a Rain Forest. It’s a truly wonderful and amazing place championed by King Charles II. He congratulated the National Trust (NT) on their fantastic achievement in getting the accolade.
It is also the place where I finished 2nd from last in the over 40’s World Masters Mountain Running Championships in 2005. I ran into a swarm of horse flies. You could say I was bitten by nature which made me, and I’ve been loving it ever since. Not sure of my time but it was in the region of my marathon pb 2.42. a great day on Skiddaw.
I was sent a request from Gary Skentelbery to comment on the latest Millets report placing Warrington in the top 10 cities for Nature.
To comment fully on this report, I would need to see the raw data. It’s an amazing piece of work and I’m a slow reader but I’m sure that it will be greeted by the Nature Community with interest and degree students for their thesis.
I will do my best to discuss it here, especially the positions where Warrington is placed from my experience as Chair of the Warrington Nature Conservation, former trustee of the Mersey Gateway Environmental Trust and Geography student at Lanchester Polytechnic.
Warrington 5th in Wildlife Conservation. Yes, we do well thanks to our hard working and passionate Ranger Service. Unfortunately, we wound up the Warrington Nature Conservation Forum last year. Being taken off the WBC web site when I was mayor was a huge blow to us, losing Helen Bradshaw ne Lacy (WBC Environmental office) who provided us with a great service to redundancy. She took on the role of WNCF secretary, doing newsletters, registration. What she didn’t know about Warrington’s Nature wasn’t worth knowing. She was a consultant to the BBC when they came to the town for their nature documentaries and even rescued one of our members cars from the wetlands of Risley Moss with a tow rope and wellies, now that’s Girl Power -I called her Super H.
Even though we wound up the WNCF for committee have reverted to their specialisms and are beating the conservation drum at their respective SSSI and local wildlife sites. Paul Speak and Rob Smith are at Risley Moss where raptors, reptiles, mosses and much more are to be found. Similar in a smaller was to the Rain Forest.
Last year Rob self-published a book about the Risley birds(raptors) and reptiles (snakes). Paul has been Risley Moss Action Groups (RIMAGs) lead on developing a new observation platform that has replaced the burnt out original. He also manages our web site which we have left up and running.
The Mersey Forest Team are based at Risley Moss. When I was WBC’s representative on the Mersey Forest steering group, I saw at first hand the work being done by Paul Nolan OBE and his team. Their involvement in the National Forest and European initiatives has been great.
The town has several other SSSI sites like Rixton Clay Pits, Woolston Eyes, and 20 plus Local Wildlife Sites. These are vital to Nature Conservation and managed by the likes of Angus Lord. His team have helped me in so many ways especially when setting up Friends Groups in Poulton North’s local parks. I and Friends of local parks couldn’t have done the work we did without their help, advice and training from his team member Marcus when doing tree work.. Which is why the theft of machinery in Longbarn Park really hurts because I know how hard Vinney and his volunteers worked and continue to work.
The driving force and management of the SSSIs is down to the great Ranger Service. Greatly reduced in number now from when I first met the guys. They may be low in numbers, but they love, and I mean really love their work. What they lack in numbers they make up for in knowledge, experience and expertise.
I was gutted this year when again the rare Bee-Orchids of Stockton Heath and Birchwood were mowed down by the WBC ground maintenance team despite the maps, I provided to help conserve them. The mowing team have promised that their young mowers will take more care next year. I returned a few weeks ago to Clapham, Yorkshire near Settle where I first saw wildflower conservation in practice to get some ideas.
I have worked on the Orchid fields in the Isle of Man with the Manx Wildlife Trust and seen the efforts they put in to keep the 5 or 6 species of orchid alive every year. They use sheep to graze the land which encourages the orchids. In some ways this is what they do at the Rixton Clay Pits.
Cattle have been used for different reasons at Paddington Meadows and under the Gateway Bridge. The MGET grazed cattle near the new Gateway bridge. Unfortunately, sufficient water troughs hadn’t been put Iin place and the cattle died from drinking salt water. However, the cattle did turned over the grassed fields There is so much we can learn from Manx Trust and Cheshire Wildlife Trust.
Warrington is 8th in the survey for Bird Species. We have a great man who towers above us all. Brian Martin who recently self-published a book on Woolston Eyes where Chris Packham is the patron is a wonderful place for watching and ringing birds. The place is teaming with birds of all sorts many visiting and stopping off at the Eyes during migration to all around the world. The facilities at the Eyes are the standard of an RSPB site. Access is available to members by a key. The area has been plagued by off road bikers. Both Brian and I have been close to being run down by these idiots.
Warrington is 7th in Wildlife Rescue. There are several Hedgehog centres for adults and cute hogs. I mentioned them in my evidence during the Peel Hall inquiry, they have recently been placed on the endangered species list. They wander the gardens and fields of Peel Hall at night. Another is Wild Wings at Culcheth supported by Paul Taylor CEO of Taylor Estates who gave them a lifeline. Like the Hog rescue they are often up against it for resources.
One member of the WNCF team was Eric Fletcher of Record (record-lrc.co.uk)
His team are based next to Chester Zoo (where Helen Lacy now works) and looking after the Cheshire Wildlife Data base. They are passionate about nature and wildlife and provide a valuable service when we are reviewing planning applications. You can request a search for an area and find out what species have been recorded there. There might be an endangered group such as the Greater Crested Newts or bats etc. GCN where identified on Peel Hall and these will be protected or there will be serious consequences for them. I think that the funding by WBC to Eric’s group at Record was withdrawn around the time I was mayor. The wildlife database is also important in helping devise plans for nature, so Nature is at risk. The data is input by people volunteers out in the field. People interested in Nature like you and me do identification work out if the field using an App.
Canopy cover is an area mentioned in the report. We are privileged to have The Mersey Forest (or shall we say the Formby Pine Woods home of the red squirrel) is located in Risley Moss but like the rest of nature is at risk if it does not find sponsors for its activities and projects and there ae so many needed One massive project has the objective of planting trees from Liverpool to Hull where the canopy will enable a red squirrel to travel the full length of the canopy and not have to touch the ground.
All the organisations I have mention must raise money in one way or another through donations, grants or government funding. The WNCF didn’t need a lot of money, the work was walking and recording via an App. We organised Bioblitz days at the weekend, quarterly meetings with presentations, newsletters and held the results and information on our web and Facebook sites. It was a hobby do what you can when you can.
When we shut up shop, we had a thousand pounds in our account and hundreds of members. We spilt the £1000 amongst three Wildlife Charities Hedgehog Rescue (Birchwood) and Wild Wings Birds of Prey (Culcheth) and another whose name I can’t remember.
I have just emerged from a bipolar depression that may have lasted 18 months or so. Nature is very important to our mental health. As part of my recovery, I eagerly bought a pair of boots, a pair of walking sticks and an OS map of Ambleside. I love walking in the Fells. I always stress to the BipolarUK peer support group that I facilitate your recovery will be enhanced by doing stuff you like that ideally includes getting out and about in the community. I couldn’t find a Millets shop in Grasmere.
The map was entitled Ambleside. It’s a place where I met my wife when I organised a weekend away at a guest house. It’s where I painted a watercolour of the National Trust bridge house and it’s a place where we had a school trip to. I’ve had so many adventures on the fells and for me it’s a place where nature is appreciated by all who visit, people say hello and chat, the councils do a terrific job maintaining the footpaths to an exceptional level. As a path warden I really appreciate what they do, especially as a builder in Houghton Green recently blocked off access to a footpath. I got Rights of Way Officer to order them to remove it as it’s illegal! Use them or lose them.
You may detect a theme throughout this review. It’s people, people who love, really love Nature. From the people who walk and enjoy nature to the Rangers who manage the environment and the experts who look for and record what they see.
The WNCF Warrington Nature Conservation Forum (wncf.co.uk) emerged as a WBC initiative following the Brazilian 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. We were one of the last standing forums in the UK. Austerity and data loss by WBC (newsletters from many years) when they withdrew our page from their web site, cutbacks the changing influence of the internet and other stuff played their part in its demise. At the EGM praise was given for the work accomplished by the group, bioblitzes, conservation projects like the Bee-Orchids, focus of Silver Lane as a Local Wildlife site, bat surveys, training for the public, advice to WBC, wildlife TV, swift surveys and conservation work with erecting of swift boxes etc. The decision a lass was taken on 23rd January 20223 pull down the shutters. We had had up to 500 members at its peak but no longer people would rather be desk top warriors and watch TV rather than get stuck into the real stuff. to just the committee. It was time for change again.
I’m starting to think of starting up a new group and dropping the word Forum, so it becomes Warrington Nature Conservation (WNC) or perhaps Warrington Nature Matters (WNM) let me know what you think. We were one of the last Forums to close in the UK after 32 years. We have our Web and Facebook (20+) Facebook sites up and running. So please take a look at them and make comments about what you would like to see fresh ideas or support for the oldies but goldies and I’m sure that the rebranded version will emerge or email me on settlegfs@gmail.com.
Warrington may not have the greatness of the fells and rain forest, but I believe that Warrington Needs Nature if only for everyone’s Mental Health and Preservation and protection of Wildlife.
Geoff Settle – 13th October
These are my ideas and opinions and I’m open to other ideas and opinions.