Following this week’s closure of the Shieling Residential Home (on Southport Road Lydiate) a local resident whose mother passed away there, has kindly donated the memorial tree he planted in her memory within the grounds, to the Bobby’s Wood/Woodend environmental project organised by the Friends of Maghull & District (FOMD). Consequently, we spent several hours today transferring and replanting the Victorian Plum tree into developing ecology corner for children. To maximise its survival outside the tree planting season of October/March, we tried to keep as much root, watered it copiously and cut the new growth down to the last two buds to reduce stress. So fingers crossed. Can You Help with a Little Watering and Weeding? If you are local we would be delighted if you could contact us, to adopt a tree, to simply water it when you are passing. Alternatively, if you have a few minutes to spare - since the bluebells have now died down we are now able to weed the ground elder in the border and although we are aiming for a woodland themed border with some wildness, they are overwhelming some of the young plants in parts. Please contact: admin@fomd.co.uk if you can spare some time, no matter how little. PS the tree donor is also a very talented retired landscape photographer and took one of the attached pictures with the tree in situ. Best Wishes, FOMD

A huge thank you to Paul Richards (local altruistic Tree Surgeon) and his son Harry (pictured) for their continued generosity in supplying tons of wood chippings to act as an attractive weed suppressant for the Friends of Maghull & District’s (FOMD) Parkbourn project in Maghull. The background to this remarkable ongoing transformation from a derelict ASB blighted, fly tipping site in 2018 to a cherished small oasis, is described in the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/parkbourn The site comprises of a small triangle, in which the (1) outer border is populated with recently donated & crowdfunded plants, stumpery, hedging of 40 hydrangeas and 121 Dogwood tree whips (recently staked), with fencing populated by creative bug and bird boxes, 21 of which are made out of hanging teapots! We spent six hours clearing the invasive bindweeds, tidying the foliage remnants of 500 daffodil and Bluebell bulbs and a further two hours spreading the donated wood chippings. Whilst the large (2) inner triangle, which is separated by a wood chip path, is now taking centre stage with a beautiful mixture of wildflowers which surrounds a picturesque community created bug hotel. This year’s refresh of the wildflowers has benefited from the inclusion of a healthy dose of yellow rattle (invasive to grass) as previously the grass had overwhelmed the wildflowers. The entrance to the estate also has the welcoming sight of John Barrowman (pictured)! If you are interested in helping us out in the future please register your interest at admin@fomd.co.uk or come and meet us at the Maghull Community Marketplace Event on 20.6.22 in the Town Hall (see attached poster). Best Wishes, FOMD

A huge thank you to Paul Richards (local tree surgeon) for yet again kindly supplying tons of wood chippings for another community project organised by The Friends of Maghull and District (FOMD) at St George’s Primary School. Paul has been providing our St George’s Primary School Tree Planting Project with endless supplies of wood chippings to act as an attractive weed suppressant and mulch around the 1,350 trees. The final load was used to complete the new hedge perimeter and one of the three copses within the school grounds. FOMD spent 2 ½ hours this week moving the chippings into place. Hopefully with community support we want to finish the project by tidying up some of the debris that was discovered in preparing the land for two other copses. If you would like to help for a couple of hours this month (tba) please register your interest at admin@fomd.co.uk Best wishes, FOMD

Whilst taking a walk down Millbank Lane a couple of days ago to revisit the Friends of Maghull and District’s (FOMD) 637 trees we planted last year, we were treated to a spectacular sunset, whilst the trees are making steady progress. On the 6.3.21, the local community organised by FOMD planted approximately 637 trees (pictured), forming a small wood and two hedges on a field next to the idyllic Millbank Lane, Maghull, on a smallholding belonging to Joanne, Keith and Ollie. It was a beautiful day, enhanced by the cheerful and hard-working volunteers. If you are interested in helping us out in the future please register your interest at admin@fomd.co.uk or come and meet us at the Maghull Community Marketplace Event on 20.6.22 in the Town Hall (see attached poster). All the best, FOMD

A huge thank you to Cllrs Ken and Tom Hughes (father and son) who yesterday after another long day of working and travelling from the Lake District as a stonemason, they kindly and skilfully helped to move what seemed like an unmovable ornamental rock that was donated by the neighbouring Aldi. Ingenuously, over one hour Ken used a collection of metal rods and planks to lever and roll the beautiful slab into place. Giving me a whole new appreciation of the Egyptians and Druids in creating the Pyramids and Stonehenge! When completed it will provide a beautiful rockery feature in front of the bug hotel in what will be a children’s eco/educational corner in Bobby’s Wood/Woodend (junction of Liverpool Road South and Northway). People may have noticed a temporary slowdown in the routine MTC maintenance of some of our parks lately, sadly due to the departure of a couple of staff, which is currently involving an urgent recruitment drive. Consequently, we spent this afternoon weed spraying the path to protect the integrity of the compressed top dressing of the Cotswold path, which we and the Ashworth hospital gardeners worked slavishly to create. Can you help? If you are local to the wood and would like to register to adopt one tree or plant, to simply water it on a regular basis, perhaps when walking the dog, we would love to hear from you at admin@fomd.co.uk. Many thanks, Friends of Maghull and District (FOMD)

Paul Pruden (Horticultural Manager at Mersey Care NHS Trust) & his Ashworth Hospital Gardening Team have become only the second recipient of the prestigious Mayoral Achievement Award, which is one of Maghull’s highest civic awards and was presented by MTC Mayor Cllr John Sayers. Mayor John Sayers said, “Paul and his team (Dave, Ian, Neil, Phil) have been immeasurably integral to every project that the Friends of Maghull and District (FOMD) have undertaken and have made the seemingly impossible possible, which is demonstrated in the following very short summary: In 2017/18 they helped to transform a 20 year old grot spot into a wildflower oasis. In 2018/19 they help to create a beautiful eco-education area from an unkempt area of land either side of Stafford Moreton Way which represents one of Maghull’s highest footfall areas. In 2020 in the midst of the pandemic Parkbourn’s grassed square was not cut by the normal maintenance team and he reversed several months of neglect by cutting the area with his tractor. In 2020/21 Paul and his team who were facing profound personal and professional challenges yet he promised at the beginning of the project that if we were able to raise the £6500 for machinery hire and materials he and his team would create a beautiful, accessible Cotswolds style path. True to his word he returned in March 2021 and spent over a week removing 146 t of soil and seamlessly landscaping it into the rear area of the site including grass seeding. Then using 146 t of building materials constructed the stunning pathway that will provide an accessible community legacy for generations to come”. Tracey Battison (Head of Estates & Facilities Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust) proudly said, “Paul and his team are very much a valuable asset to the Trust and the grounds he maintain are always impeccable. Paul and his team are always ready to go the extra mile to improve the external environments for patients and staff. This award was very well deserved”. Dr Frank Sharp (FOMD & nominator) said, “Their work has been an inspiration and provided several community legacies for generations to come. FOMD are a small group of individuals who help to organise and facilitate projects with people who are also friends of Maghull and we think that Paul and his team have represented some of our best friends”.

John the Barrowman has started volunteering for the Friends of Maghull & District (FOMD) at their current environmental project in Bobby’s Wood/Woodend (junction of Liverpool Road South and Northway). John said, “Would you like to adopt a tree/shrub by watering your adopted plant on a regular basis to help it establish and support it during dry periods. You might even get a watering can like me!”. If you live near Bobby’s Wood we would like to hear from you, to simply regularly water your adopted tree/shrub from the many kind donations we have received. Please contact us at admin@fomd.co.uk John added, “I was disappointed to miss out on the display of thousands of daffodils but delighted to see the huge array of bluebells, tulips and the amazing blossom from the 18 new Cherry and Crabapple trees forming a boulevard on two parts of the Cotswold path”. Finally a Huge Thank You to the MTC Park Rangers MTC Park Rangers continue to do an amazing job as part of their routine maintenance, despite their recent temporarily depleted numbers (only 3 at the moment!). Unbelievably, this unsung team maintain Maghull’s 14 parks and 19 open spaces to an incredibly high standard, and really are our community’s heroes.